Louisiana sack artist will visit Alabama
While other prospects have traveled the country this summer in an effort to showcase their skills at various camps, Zach Schreiber, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound defensive end who hails from Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport (La.), has taken a much more relaxed approach.
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So, just how many camps has Schreiber attended thus far?
That would be nada, as in none, zip, zero, bagel.
While Schreiber has refrained from burning up the camp circuit, that doesn’t mean he’s spent the summer lounging at the lake or napping on the couch. OK, so there was the getaway to Las Vegas he took with his father, but outside of that brief excursion, Schreiber has spent a good bit of his time preparing for the 2004 season.
“I’ve been working out and running with my team,” Schreiber said. “I didn’t go to any camps because I basically have the offers I want right now. I’ve got enough offers that I felt comfortable about not needing the extra exposure.”
Based on his growing list of suitors, it’s hard to argue with Schreiber’s strategy. In fact, he now holds offers from Alabama, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Memphis, San Diego State, Tulane and Tulsa.
A month ago, Schreiber anointed Alabama and Texas Tech as his top two schools. Has anything changed since then?
“I still like both of them a lot, but I don’t really have a favorite. I’m going to have to take some trips and I’ll probably take all five of my official visits,” Schreiber said.
“I’ll probably take a few officials during the season. I’ll visit Alabama and Texas Tech for sure. I’ll also probably take trips to San Diego State and Oklahoma State.”
UA assistant coach Charlie Harbison is recruiting Schreiber, who had some good things to say about the Crimson Tide.
“Everybody knows about their tradition. Now they’re getting off probation and I think they‘re going to do some big things in the near future,” Schreiber said. “It’s not too far from home and my dad lives in Atlanta so he would be able to come see me play.”
Although Schreiber enjoys harassing opposing quarterbacks from his defensive end spot, he realizes that a position switch will likely be on tap when he moves on to the next level.
“I love defensive end, and if I was big enough that’s the position I would want to play,” he said. “But you just don’t see too many 220-pound defensive ends in college football. It doesn’t matter how fast you are at that level, you have to have some size to play up front. Alabama is recruiting me as an outside linebacker who can also do some things as a pass rusher in certain defenses.”
Schreiber is part of an Evangel team that is expected to compete in a 7-on-7 tournament at Hoover (Ala.) High School one week from now. However, since Schreiber’s a defensive end there is a good chance he will not join the Eagles’ linebackers and defensive backs at the event.
“I might go, I might not,” Schreiber said. “I haven’t been to pass skel too much because I’m playing defensive end and there isn’t much for me to do during those. It would be fun to go (to Hoover) but I think they want to give reps to the guys who are actually going to be playing linebacker and defensive back during our season.”
As a junior, Schreiber, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds, recorded 75 tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks, one interception and five fumble recoveries.
With a 4.0 core grade point average and a score of 24 on the ACT, Schreiber is well on his way to qualifying academically.
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