Blue White Illustrated

J ake Zembiec doesn't remember exactly when the idea came to him, but it was Penn State quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne who 8rst got him thinking about it. With the possibility of Christian Hack- enberg forgoing his 8nal season with the Nittany Lions, an open competition for the vacated starting spot could be on the table in 2016. Had Zembiec wanted to throw his hat into the race, it might be in the Rochester, N.Y., native's best interest to get a head start by enrolling in college six months early. "As we started looking into it a little more, we 8gured it was something that I was really eligible for," said Zembiec, who boasts a 94 percent grade point average. "The bene8ts of going early would be really great for me." By the time he graduates from Aquinas Institute Dec. 22, the Rivals.com four- star prospect will have already accom- plished most of what he set out to do in high school, anyway. With his 6,398 career passing yards (61.5 percent completion rate) and 76 touchdowns (compared to 28 interceptions), he broke almost every pass- ing record in New York Section V history. In his time at Aquinas, the Little Irish compiled a 40-6 record. During his soph- omore and senior seasons – the only two in which he played every game – Aquinas went 26-0 and won two state champi- onships. He missed the majority of his junior season due to a wrist injury, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the most highly sought-a:er football recruits to come out of western New York in nearly 30 years. Soon after Zembiec won his first title, and was named New York State Player of the Year for the first of two times, he started hearing from Penn State. He earned an offer shortly after a strong camp performance the following summer, and throughout the next year he visited campus as often as he could. Zembiec verbally committed to PSU in Beaver Sta- dium the morning before its 2014 regu- lar-season finale against Michigan State, a team that happened to be one of the Nittany Lions' strongest competitors in his recruitment. When the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Zembiec played for his most recent state champi- onship in late November inside Syracuse's Carrier Dome, Penn State coaches watched from the sideline, plenty familiar with what he had to o9er. He capped his high school career with 8reworks, reinforcing their initial evaluations. In rolling past Saratoga Springs, 44-19, Zembiec enjoyed not only the best game of his undefeated senior season, complet- ing 20 of 25 attempts for 485 yards and four touchdowns, but quite possibly the best game of his high school career. "I think I had hit 400 once, but not that many [times]," he said. "As far as per- centage, that was up there, too. It just happened to be the biggest game of my career, as well, so that worked out." Rahne, head coach James Franklin and o9ensive line coach Herb Hand were all back in Rochester the following evening for an in-home visit. Macaroni, sausage and meatballs were on the menu – "They all le: really full and tired from dinner," Zembiec said. "My mom and grandma spent a lot of time preparing that" – and the future of the Nittany Lion program THE ZEMBIEC FILE STATS Threw for 6,398 career yards and had a touchdown-interception ratio of 76-28... Completed 61.5 percent of his passes... Led Aquinas Institute to Class AA state championships his sophomore and senior seasons... Completed 20 of 25 passes for 485 yards and four touchdowns in a 44- 19 victory over Saratoga Springs in this year's Class AA title game. HONORS Named a four-star recruit, as well as the No. 1 player in New York by Rivals.com... Won New York State Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior... Was the New York State Sportswriters Association Player of the Year as a sophomore Zembiec eyeing fast start at Penn State | CLICK HERE to see video of Zembiec in action. Rivals.com

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