RICHMOND, Texas — This time last year, Tanner Nehls was just hoping for a chance to play NCAA Division-3 football.

As a high school junior, Nehls was a pulling guard who was crafty about not getting caught holding. He weighed less than 190 pounds soaking wet, and ran a 5-something 40.

It seemed like even D3 football might be a long shot.

With National Signing Day less than two weeks from today, the senior TE from Travis High School in Richmond Texas now faces an entirely different problem.

A problem, that is, if you believe in nice problems to have. The new problem is which college football program to choose.

This month alone, Nehls has entertained five Division-1 FCS scholarship offers from a list of colleges that includes Stony Brook University (NY), Wagner University (NY), Midwestern State University (TX). His physical development has made all the difference.

And that development has earned him ProspectFIT Athlete of the Year honors for 2009.

Nehls (6-foot-2, 232 pounds) is bigger and stronger, and he’s improved his 40 time to 4.7 seconds.

That’s right. One year. A gain of nearly 50 pounds. An improvement of nearly half a second on his 40 time.

The difference is real. Congratulations to Tanner Nehls, ProspectFIT's 2009 Athlete of the Year.