SAN JOSE >> Nick Nash decided three seasons ago that a position change was needed in order to get on the field.

The Spartans senior never expected this.

Nash leads the nation in receptions (50), receptions per game (12.5) and touchdown catches (8) heading into the Spartans’ game against Nevada on Saturday at CEFCU Stadium.

“He’s doing exactly what I knew he could do,” former SJSU wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Eric Scott said this week.

Nash, who arrived on campus in 2019 as a quarterback, set a regular-season school record with 17 receptions against Kennesaw State in SJSU’s third game of the season. Six days later, he caught 16 passes. Nobody in school history had ever caught more than 15 passes in a regular season game.

The Southern California native needs just 10 more catches to crack SJSU’s top-20 list for receptions in a season. He’s on pace to obliterate Edell Shepherd’s school record of 83 set in 2001.

This week he was added to the prestigious Biletnikoff Award Watch. The award honors the most outstanding receiver in the FBS regardless of position.

“It’s crazy to see my name on that watch list,” Nash said.

Nash’s evolution into a record-setting receiver began when Chevan Cordiero transferred to San Jose State in spring of 2022 from Hawaii. Nash, SJSU’s top returning candidate to replace Nick Starkel, knew he was in for a battle for the starting quarterback spot.

Nash shared some of the quarterback duties as a freshman with then-senior Josh Love, appearing in six games mostly in wildcat formations and finished second on the team in rushing. A year later, his big quarterback moment came when he helped SJSU rally past San Diego State.

But when Nash realized he wasn’t going to be the starter in 2022, he knew exactly where to pivot.

He had always playfully joined wide receiver drills at practice to run routes. He left an impression.

“Whoa, this dude got hops,” Scott recalled thinking of Nash. “As a receiver coach, you’re always looking to see if you can turn anybody into a receiver.”

Nash asked Scott if he thought he had enough talent to make the NFL as a wide receiver when quarterback was out of the picture for him.

“I told him absolutely,” Scott said.

The opportunity to play in the NFL was Nash’s driving factor in deciding to become a receiver.

Scott, the now West L.A. College head coach, is someone Nash considers to be an important person in his transition from quarterback to wide receiver.

“I feel like I had made an impact up to that point on the team as a running quarterback and I thought it was finally my shot to play and start,” Nash said. “Unfortunately it wasn’t. I didn’t want to be a backup after all of the contributions I’ve made to the team.”

When former SJSU head coach Brent Brennan left for Arizona in January, Nash considered leaving. He went as far as entering the transfer portal but removed his name the same day. Offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann’s spread-and-shred offense was a major selling point in Nash’s choice to stay at SJSU.

“They promised me these things. They said, ‘you’re gonna get the ball a lot, you’re gonna get a lot of yards,’ ” Nash said of the new coaching regime.

New head coach Ken Niumatalolo has repeatedly expressed his gratitude that Nash decided to stay at SJSU. His thankfulness only grew when he saw Nash on the field.

“There’s so many intricate details in Stutzmann’s offense and so there’s a learning curve,” Niuamtalolo said. “You can see him go from the meetings out in the field and he was able to translate it into doing stuff on the field where some guys, it took a lot more reps than him.”

“It’s crazy to see his journey, that he’s there now,” Love said. “Looking at it now, I would love to have thrown to him, that’s for sure.”

Nash is tied for fifth in Spartans history with 17 touchdown receptions in only 18 games as a wide receiver.

Scott knew the former quarterback had the correct mentality for his new position after last season, when Nash led SJSU wide receivers in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

“Attitude-wise, he had become a receiver,” Scott said. “He wanted the ball.”

The Spartans are more than happy to keep getting the ball to Nash.