Quarterback by day, shortstop by night.
That was JJ Nielsen's ultimate goal when choosing to leave high school early, and his new reality upon enrolling at the University of Hawai‘i earlier this month.
The limits of Nielsen's right arm will be tested in the years ahead, particularly in the spring. Preseason practices are underway for the baseball team ahead of its Feb. 14 season opener against Marshall. On Saturday, the team will hold its annual alumni game. Then on Monday, spring practices for the football team begin next door at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
"It's been a grind," Nielsen told Aloha State Daily of his time at UH so far. "My days are full. I really only go to my dorm just to sleep. I'm busy throughout the day with practice, meetings, practice in both sports, individual workouts. Busy days, busy weeks."
JJ Nielsen, a business and marketing major, is currently taking 13 credits. He is the first UH athlete to be listed on both football and baseball rosters since Waianae alum Nate Jackson in 2001. Countless members of both programs excelled at the other sport in high school, but ultimately had to choose by the time college rolled around. Not JJ.
Jarret Joseph Nielsen, shortened to JJ, was gifted at every sport he touched as a child. With natural speed that was honed in his teenage years, Nielsen combined that with his arm talent to star in both football and baseball at Jordan High School in Long Beach, Calif. In 2023, his 4,194 yards of total offense were a Moore League record after throwing for 3,411 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 783 additional yards and eight scores. On the diamond, he hit .533 with four home runs as a junior, intriguing scouts with his 5-foot-11, 210-pound frame.
JJ's dual-sport potential was something his father, Jon, saw since he was a toddler.
"I was the crazy coach, dad, early on, during rec ball and those things, because I saw something in him," said Jon Nielsen, a former professional quarterback. "I told him I was going to push him a certain way to get to this point."
Because he enrolled in college early, Nielsen is ineligible to be selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. Had he stayed in high school, he would have been a candidate to get drafted and begin his professional career with a six-figure signing bonus.
Starting a pro baseball career out of high school may have meant giving up football, something he's not ready to do just yet. Heading into spring ball with the football team, Nielsen will be one of three scholarship quarterbacks, along with redshirt freshman Micah Alejado and junior college transfer Luke Weaver.
At a recent workout, JJ Nielsen was seen doing infield drills with his father before taking hacks in the batting cage with former MLB player Kean Wong. Though he may not be one to elaborate his sentiments, his unwavering belief in himself is clear.
"I'm really eager, because I really do have a good opportunity, so I'm going to take my opportunity and go with that," Nielsen said of joining the football team.
With the baseball team, Nielsen will join a crowded infield that returns multiple starters and features a handful of players at least five years older than him.
"Trying to compete, really, and when I get an opportunity to show what I could do, and then go off that," Nielsen said when asked how he fits into the 2025 UH baseball team.
Nielsen's decision to go to college isn't the first time he left money on the table. Multiple Power Four schools offered Nielsen the opportunity to be a dual-sport athlete.
Jon Nielsen, who works in lifestyle marketing, collaborates with a variety of athletes and other prominent public figures in his frequent travels between Hawai‘i and California. He believes the opportunity his son has to see early playing time for both teams at UH will create more value in the long run.
"The opportunity is big. We passed up some good money from some other schools, and for the opportunity, it's kind of a hard way to navigate with NIL, right? You take the money, or you take the opportunity. Your currency is what you put on the field," Jon Nielsen said. "I think the sooner you get on the field and could put certain things down, those NIL opportunities will will present themselves to you."
A website highlighting JJ Nielsen and his exploits in baseball and football has already been created. Jon says the goal for the website is to create more marketing and community outreach opportunities for JJ.
JJ Nielsen says he chose UH, in part, because of the relationship he has with baseball coach Rich Hill and football coach Timmy Chang. As long as Nielsen is on campus, Hill and Chang will also figure to communicate regularly to ensure he's in the best position to succeed in both sports.
"I love coach Hill and coach Chang. I've built great relationships with them over the years before coming here, so they were excited when I committed and really just keeping that relationship strong with both of them," JJ Nielsen said.
On top of his reps at quarterback on the gridiron, Nielsen will also practice at multiple infield and outfield positions as he competes for playing time on the diamond. Each day he suits up will be taxing on his arm, but he already has a care routine in place.
"Ice and hot tub, cold tub, just keep taking care of my arm mobility, and stretch and then cool down after I throw," said JJ Nielsen, who also has regular recovery sessions at HoltFit Performance Recovery Center in Aiea.
At Hawai‘i, JJ Nielsen is following in the footsteps of multiple relatives. His cousins Corey and Casey were former UH quarterbacks, while his sister, Jadyn, began her collegiate softball career with the Rainbow Wahine before transferring to Cal State Northridge. Every member of the Nielsen family who has played college sports or professionally like Jon has worn the jersey number 8, a tradition JJ will continue for both teams.
"It's gonna be fun," Jon Nielsen said. "You'll hear his name real soon. He's earned everything, and he's talented in both sports. Look out for that. I'm looking forward to watching both."
