Mark Zackery IV has known for some time Notre Dame was where he wanted to be for his college football career. But just to make sure, he took another trip to South Bend this spring and another to get a final look at Cincinnati, his other finalist.
If he was not 100% decided before, Zackery was completely in on the Irish after the visit.
“I was going to wait it out to take official visits just to have that experience,” he said, “but I felt like there was no need for me to go to the other places when I know where my heart is and where I want to be. I know things change and there’s a lot going on with the transfer portal and things like that, but Notre Dame feels like the place for me.”
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Ben Davis Giants Mark Zackery (4) rushes up the field Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, during the IHSAA Class 6A football state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Ben Davis Giants lead at the half against the Crown Point Bulldogs, 10-3.
The 6-foot, 160-pound Zackery, rated as a four-star cornerback prospect by 247Sports and the No. 59 player in the country in the 2025 class, had narrowed his choices to Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Michigan and Florida but had scholarship offers from more than two dozen more schools, including Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee and USC.
What separated Notre Dame from that impressive list of options? The football pedigree and everything that goes with it stands on its own. The academics (Zachery has a 3.92 grade-point average) played a factor, too. But the connections to coach Marcus Freeman and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens might have pushed the Irish over the top for Zackery.
“Obviously there is a connection with coach Freeman and coach Mickens,” Zackery…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ben-davis-star-mark-zackery-180556510.html
Author : Indianapolis Star
Publish date : 2024-05-25 18:05:56
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