IUplanet caught up today with do-it-all athlete
Nick Zachery to talk about his early commitment to IU and his future with the Hoosiers.
When IU extended a scholarship to the Sheridan High School (IN) standout, the offer couldn’t have come soon enough, and he quickly made his decision late last month (June 26 to be exact), becoming the second player on a 2009 commitment list that now includes 14 players.
Zachery, whose father and relatives attended Purdue, grew up cheering for the Boilermakers, but he quickly became an IU fan after seeing what the school could offer. “It was a nice campus," he said. "And I want to study either business or communications, and the Kelley School down there is really good for business. And I just love the coaching staff that IU has, and those were the factors that went into the decision."
Nick Zachery
Position: Wide receiver or safety
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 195 lbs
Hometown: Sheridan, Indiana
Rivals.com Rankings: 3 stars
Zachery said that he wanted to attend IU since the beginning of the year, and that he was merely waiting for the IU coaching staff to offer him. When the scholarship finally came out, Zachery knew that he wanted to commit, much to the delight of the coaches. “Coach Lynch was really excited when I called and told him I was going to commit. I’ve been getting little cards from them saying how excited they are for me to come,” he said.
Now that his decision is made, he is happy that he can concentrate on other things. “It feels really good, I’m really excited that I picked IU,” he said. “It’s just gonna be a really good upcoming school year and football season now that it’s out of the way
When I say that Zachery is a “do-it-all” player, it’s not just a figure of speech. Last year he helped Sheridan by playing as a quarterback, safety, punter, placekicker, and kick returner. With 4.5 speed and a knack for making people miss, he could fill various roles for the Hoosiers as well. “Either at safety or receiver, is what they’re thinking about,” he said about the coaches’ plans for him.
His skills are apparent on the field; he scored 43 touchdowns on offense last year and was responsible for around 100 tackles and 7 interceptions on defense. “One of my main strengths would probably be my speed. The coaches just say I have good football smarts, so I can read the field really well,” Zachery said about his game.
When asked about what excited him the most about coming to IU, he answered: “The atmosphere of the campus. I have a buddy that goes down there and we went around campus, and it’s just a nice campus. It seems really peaceful and everything. So I’m just really excited to go down there.”
This upcoming year, he hopes to get stronger and improve his 6’0”, 195 lb frame. “Just getting stronger is what I’m going to be working on,” he said. “I’ve been down and I’ve seen some of the players down at IU. I’ll need to get a lot stronger to play.”
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Thanks to Nick for the great interview!
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