Frazer’s college football dream is still alive
by Nick Ironside
CONNECTICUT – Laughter, joking around and University of Connecticut football players and media members having a good time was all that a visitor could see at the Burton Football Complex in Storrs, Conn. in early August on media day.
One of the members of the team having the time of his life is backup quarterback Zach Frazer.
He hasn’t always had fun times as of late. In fact, in the past three years, his life has taken a complete turn from what he expected.
In April of 2005, Frazer, then a junior in high school, verbally committed to play football at the University of Notre Dame. Having just set a Pennsylvania state record with 3,684 passing yards that season, everything was looking good for the Mechanicsburg High School quarterback.
“Junior year in high school, I think we had just overall one of the best teams that’s ever come through Mechanicsburg School in a while,” Frazer said. “It kind of breaks down to there were no cliques, everyone was hanging out with one another on and off the field, and then when we were on the field, we just knew what everyone was doing. I had a great bunch of receivers, a great line and everything like that, so it worked out.”
Frazer’s senior season wasn’t nearly as productive as he threw just nine touchdown passes. But overall, he felt it was enjoyable.
“It was a little disappointing but I still had fun,” Frazer said. “So what, we didn’t have as much talent as we did the previous year, but everyone was still putting in the same amount of effort, and more.
After completing his high school career, Frazer was set to go to Notre Dame. Looking back on the recruiting process, Frazer said he was set on playing for the Irish, but he still got stuck in the mess of choosing a college.
“Going to Notre Dame sold me,” he said. “At the time, it looked like a great opening. I mean, [Brady] Quinn was leaving, and I was thinking, ‘Hey I’ve got a shot.’ Go in, redshirt for a year, sit behind Quinn and learn from him, and then in the fall I would get in there. That was my mindset going in.
“At the time, it was because it had great facilities, great coaches, everything like that, but at the same time I’m only 17, still young, not really knowing what’s going on. I’m not really seeing the big picture; I’m just seeing Notre Dame. ‘Wow I’ve got to go there.’
“I think you just get caught up in the whole recruiting mess, and that’s why you commit early even though you don’t really have to.”
However, as soon as he committed, there were three people he didn’t realize might get in his way of starting: Quarterbacks Evan Sharpley, Demetrius Jones and current starter Jimmy Clausen.
In February of 2007, Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis announced that after spring camp he would name the quarterbacks still in contention for the starting role. So the four players battled out in camp, and the pressure was felt on all four.
“It was definitely heated, it was definitely a competition,” Frazer said thinking back to the practices.
“Everyone was shooting for that spot, because with Quinn leaving everyone knew it was open, and with Clausen coming in everyone was hyped about him, and everything like that,” Frazer said. “You could definitely feel the tension between everyone, because we all were very competitive. But I really – I stay laid back in situations like that, it’s just my personality.”
Following the clash that spring, Weis felt ready to announce the decision. He decided Frazer was going to be the odd man out, and the only one not competing for the starting role that fall.
“I was shocked,” Frazer said. “I didn’t think he [Weis] would say what he did, but then again, he’s the coach. It’s his team, and that’s what he wanted, so I took it how it was and I moved on. I said, ‘Hey, I’m going to try and make the best out of my life.’ So that’s what I did, and that’s when I decided to transfer.”
In July of 2007, Frazer had made up his mind, and had decided on the school he was transferring to.
He chose the University of Connecticut as his new home, and Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall was delighted to have him.
“We were very pleased that when Zach decided to leave Notre Dame, that we were going to be a school he was going to consider,” Edsall said. “And we knew him from high school – we recruited him out of high school and really liked what we saw, and then knowing we had another opportunity at him excited us, and we’re very glad that we landed him.”
Connecticut quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Rob Ambrose felt similar to Edsall.
“I actually used to recruit the Harrisburg area of Pennsylvania a lot, so I’d been to his high school many times, and I knew his high school coach very well,” Ambrose said. “I knew Zach back when he was in high school and I knew a bunch of coaches in the league that respected him not just as a player, but as a person. I knew what kind of guy we were getting.”
Now at Connecticut, Frazer hasn’t forgotten why he chose the school after he decided to transfer.
“I feel like I’m at home,” Frazer said. “I feel like I’m still playing for Mechanicsburg, just that type of feel – that’s what you need. So we’re all laughing, I mean you see it. We’re all laughing and everyone’s a team.”
Once the 2007 Connecticut football season began, though, Frazer was only allowed to participate in practices due to NCAA transfer rules.
“I knew it was going to happen, but it was just like, ‘No, I can’t sit out another year,’” Frazer said. “But you know, I tried to take it as a – kind of helping myself produce, and helping myself learn the offense better here.”
Now that having to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, Frazer is looking for his shot. And Edsall says Frazer might have a chance to play.
“Right now Tyler [Lorenzen] is our starting quarterback, but Zach is the backup and Zach knows that in one play he might have to go in and play,” said the Huskies head coach.
“I’m hoping that he’ll be able to play, because he’s the backup and I’d like to develop another quarterback, and develop him and get him in there to get some reps, so right now we’ll see how everything goes, but if he continues to progress and if he keeps doing the things that we tell him he should do, I think he’ll get his chance to get some playing time this year.”
Now, when thinking of playing college football, Frazer just smiles.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “It’s a dream come true. Coming out of high school, you want to go to college, you want to play ball. And then in the future you want to make it to the NFL. But right now I’m working on playing in college, and I can’t wait for that.”
Frazer’s focus this season is shooting for the starting job he says, but sitting on the bench won’t stop him from thinking about the field.
“I’m always one play away.”