Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482664
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 5 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M who's absolutely unbelievable and gives me Zion's name. We looked at the film and you just in- stantly saw that he was moving at a dif- ferent speed than everybody else. But also, the level of competition wasn't great. So, I personally followed him on Twit- ter. I found out a day or two later that he committed to Temple. About a week or two after that, the Temple coaching staff gets canned, and Zion opened up his recruitment. When he did that, I reached out right away and said, "Instead of rushing into something, why don't you come by St. Thomas More, do a visit and let me show you what we have to offer." I think he saw our history of success with postgraduates and college placement guys, and he ended up wanting to come for a visit. When we were about to do that, Syracuse came by his school and basically told him they had one more spot for a DB. It made me nervous. I thought I was going to lose him, but I guess Syracuse took another DB. Zion then came on his visit, and the rest is history. BWI: Was he considering any other postgrads in New England? Any junior colleges? ANDERSON: Zion was seriously un- derrated. Not many people in the New England area knew about him. I knew about him through my friend and then watching the film. When you see him in person, he's 6-foot and he's got these long arms. He's got a great build. After the visit, I knew I only had a lim- ited time before everybody else knew about Zion. We were just able to show him what we can do to help him. I think that because of the culture we have in place here in St. Thomas More, it made him and his mom really comfortable. We're a big family here. We were going to spring visits for col- leges, and Zion was coming with us. We were able to visit a few schools in the Northeast. Because he was coming to St. Thomas More, he was also able to participate in some of our showcases. I think that just made him and his mom feel more com- fortable. BWI: What were some of your first im- pressions of Zion once he joined in Au- gust? ANDERSON: When we were doing all of our combine stuff, he looks great in a T-shirt and shorts. I remember that standing out right away. We were just re- ally interested in how he was going to look in pads going up against this level of com- petition. My entire secondary has scholarship offers. We put Zion on offense, and then we put him on defense. I've never seen anyone move as well as he does. We've had some great ones here, too. We've had some really, really talented players, and he's probably the best pure athlete I think we've ever had. He could be a Power Five wide receiver or a Power Five cornerback. BWI: Which position is he focusing on this season? ANDERSON: We're using Zion at re- ceiver because he's just so damn electric with the ball in his hands, but it kind of depends on the opponent. If we're play- ing an opponent that I think we'll be able to handle, then Zion just plays offense the whole entire day. Now, when we play stronger oppo- nents, Zion plays both ways. In our first game this year, the boys played well, and we got up by a pretty significant amount. We let Zion go on defense because one of our guys had his helmet come off. The first play he went in on defense, he got a pick-six. BWI: What is Zion like off the field, in the locker room and around school? ANDERSON: He's a fun kid and super personable. He's a rah-rah guy, but what I love about him is that, when it's time to go, it's time to go. … He's always running full speed. I never really have to ask Zion to practice hard. He just practices hard because he loves the game of football. BWI: As a cornerback, what stands out about him? ANDERSON: I think the biggest com- pliment I can give Zion is that the kid is so patient. You could try any type of release, whatever you want. He never opens up his hips and gives people red carpet treat- ment. I love that. He knows he's fast, and he knows he has makeup speed. He's sit- ting on everything because of his patience. That was most impressive to me. All these different releases, they don't faze him. He's just super, super patient. BWI: What were your interactions like with Penn State throughout all this? ANDERSON: I have a great relationship with Coach [Stacy] Collins and Coach [Terry] Smith. Coach Smith is such a straight shooter. Ever since I've met him, he's never blown smoke. Exactly what he says happens. He's really personable, too. His recruitment of Zion was so organic, so genuine. It was like he knew Zion for- ever because he's a great person. There was no salesman type pitch. He was telling Zion exactly what it's going to be like, and this is exactly how I coach. With him being a kid from New York — I'm from New York, too — we oftentimes work better with people that are just up front. Coach Smith and Coach Collins, from literally the first time we talked to today, they've always been on the same page with their message, and their message has always been genuine. BWI: What's Zion's ceiling? ANDERSON: In my opinion, Penn State got a steal. … He's criminally under- rated. He's 6-foot, 180 pounds and he's running a 4.35. Everybody saw his film and thought he was just really good against bad competi- tion. Zion said, "I'm not going to stand on that. I'm going to go to your school. You tell me who's your top guy, and I'm going to guard him." ■ "In my opinion, Penn State got a steal. … He's criminally underrated. He's 6-foot, 180 pounds and he's running a 4.35." A N D E R S O N