LIVE OAK — It’s a phrase used often in recruiting circles: “He has a chance.”
The saying can reference a prospect’s chances of playing at the BCS level of college football or obtaining an offer from one elite school in particular (say the University of Florida, in this instance). As it relates to former basketball player turned football standout Andre Zanders (6-3, 210, Live Oak, Fla. / Suwannee), he certainly “has a chance” to end up playing on Saturdays in the fall. Just ask the big-time schools stopping through Live Oak these days to check in on the fast-rising wide receiver candidate over the last two weeks.
The list includes a number of major programs, including the Florida Gators, along with Florida State, UCF, Southern Mississippi, Maryland, and Vanderbilt, among others. First-year head coach Willie Spears (in from Jefferson County in Monticello, Fla.) plans to implement a spread-based offensive scheme, and Zanders appears to be a perfect centerpiece for what he wants to do when the Suwannee Bulldogs have the ball.
“I’ve been blessed to coach some Division I guys and coach against some others,” Spears said. “Andre ranks right up there with the best I’ve seen.”
Spears described, in detail, what separates Zanders from other players at the wide receiver position around the state of Florida.
“He has those natural tools that some guys just don’t have” Spears said of Zanders. “Andre has great ball skills, a great frame, that ability to box out the defender like what he’s used to doing in basketball. In the spread offense, he’s going to be a huge part of our game plan. I really believe he can play at the SEC level.”
What makes Zanders even more impressive as a prospect is that he only has a year of football experience under his belt after focusing on basketball his first two years at Suwannee.
“Of course, he has the potential to get so much better than he is right now,” Spears noted. “He’s just very green. He doesn’t know how to do the little things that make good wide receivers great just yet.”
It took a while to convince Zanders that his future was in football, and not on the hardwood. But once it happened, it was full speed ahead in regards to the realization of his potential on the gridiron.
“Andre really thought in his mind he was a Division I basketball player,” Spears noted of his star prospect. “He realized there are a million basketball prospects out there who are 6-3, but not a lot of wide receivers who can play that are 6-3. Ever since then, he’s switched his focus.”
Luckily for the Gators, those ties to basketball sort of piqued Zanders interest in the Florida men’s basketball program growing up. He always had an eye on what the Rowdy Reptiles were doing down in Gainesville.
“Florida was one of my favorites,” Zanders said. “I’ve really enjoyed watching their basketball program under Billy Donovan.”
But while Zanders always had a rooting interest in the Gators basketball team, he was always had a soft spot for Florida State in his heart. Spears is aiming for Zanders to take a more neutral approach to recruiting as the prospect starts to navigate his way through the decision-making process.
“He’s a Florida State fan, been a Florida State fan most of his life,” Spears said of Zanders. “But the reality is, Florida State hasn’t beat Florida in a long time. He probably can’t even remember the last time it happened. I talked to him the other day and said that if he’s lucky enough to receive an offer from Florida, that he shouldn’t just look at the name on the front of the uniform, but look at the dominance of the program.”
It appears the talks have made a mark on Zanders, based on his responses to Spears.
“He said to me, ‘Coach, you don’t have to tell me twice. If Florida offers me a scholarship it will be hard to say no to them,’” Spears recalled of their resulting conversation.
Even Zanders admits he will have a strong interest in the Gators if they are to extend an offer.
“The competition, the intensity, ever since I’ve been watching football they’ve been winning,” Zanders noted of the Florida program under head coach Urban Meyer. “They understand people there. It’s a good place to be around.”
However, it’s still not to the point an offer from Florida appears imminent at the present time. Zanders is still waiting on his first tender, and will start making camp stops starting next month in an effort to start earning scholarship opportunities from schools across the Southeast. One of those stops will most certainly be to Gainesville during the middle of June to work out in front of the Florida coaching staff.
“(Tight ends coach) Brian White told us to just make sure Andre makes it down,” Spears said of his talks with the Florida assistant coach when he stopped through last week. “He’s excited about the chance to see Andre again in person.”
Florida has a high interest because of the fact that Zanders brings a bigger body to the wide receiver position – something the Gators have made a priority in seeking out for the Class of 2011.
“Coach White told me that Florida brought in a bunch of guys for the slot last year, and now they want some guys for the outside, that X receiver spot,” Spears said. “Andre is that guy, and he can really stretch the field. With the right eating habits, the workout regimen of a BCS-level program, his body can easily hold 220-225 pounds and add speed. I can’t wait to see how good he can become.”
Zanders currently claims a bench press max of 260 pounds, a squat max of 375 pounds, and has been able to lift 275 pounds on the power clean. He currently runs the 40-yard dash in the range of 4.5 seconds and participated in the 4×100 relay team on the Suwannee track and field squad this spring.
The intangibles that Zanders possesses is something else that will attract colleges, according to head coach Spears.
“Andre is very coachable,” he said. “He’s also a ‘yes sir, no sir’ type of kid. He does what he’s supposed to do and keeps his nose clean. It’s a joy to coach a kid who doesn’t feel the world owes him something and wants to go out and work hard.”
An offseason heavy on lifting and conditioning will help push Zanders in the direction of a bevy of college offers (if they don’t come sooner). The goal that Zanders has in mind is high without being unrealistic. After going 4-6 in 2009, Suwannee is just aiming to make a push for the postseason once again this coming fall.
“I just want to improve my game, be the best player I can, and help get my team to a district championship,” Zanders said of his goals heading into the 2010 season.
A big boost will come on May 28 when Suwannee takes on University Christian (and Florida tight end commitment A.C. Leonard) in the spring jamboree for both teams. Zanders sees the matchup as a prime opportunity to see how he stacks up against one of the best prospects in the state of Florida.
“To be the best, you have to go against the best,” he said. “Hopefully I can raise my game being on the same field as (Leonard).”