Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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20 ◆ CAVALIER CORNER kickoffs for 541 yards, rushed 33 times for 262 yards and a score, and caught 21 passes for 216 yards and one touchdown. The 5-8, 190-pound playmaker wasn't shy this spring about pegging last year's struggles mostly on himself. Wide receiv- ers coach Marques Hagans said Zaccheaus was very receptive to some of the changes he needed to make in order to reach his full potential. "We had an honest assessment [after the season] and I think a lot of his disappoint- ments came from him not always being fully prepared for what it takes for him to be at his best," Hagans explained. "This spring, for the first time I think, he really benefited from a plan that helps him man- age things and throughout the spring he was very healthy and productive." One of the best signs, though, came well before UVA opened spring ball in late March. Instead, it came even before the second semester actually started. "It started with his mindset," Hagans said. "He was one of the first ones to come back early from break, almost two weeks early. And right then and there I thought, 'Okay, he's starting to get it.' He started to under- stand some of the sacrifices you have to make in order to be better." "I just wanted to embrace my role," Zac- cheaus said. "As a leader, as a playmaker, I just wanted to embrace that and do some- thing different. I mean, obviously the things we were doing in the past weren't working so we had to change something in order for something to change. I feel like [coming back early] was just the necessary thing to do." In addition to the early start, he also changed the way he thought about his foot- ball-to-life balance. Leaning on Hagans and the experience of Hagans' wife, Lauren, Zaccheaus was able to put a plan together that worked for him. "Basically, I just map out my schedule from Sunday to Sunday," he said. "Every day, every hour, is accounted for whether it be sleeping, stretching, working out, doing extra work on the field, studying, whatever it is. That's the whole idea of that and it's working for me." Hagans has helped former Cavaliers such as Canaan Severin, Matt Johns and Jackson Matteo with similar sorts of planning. "Coach [Frank] Wintrich and his staff do great job of putting together workout plans for them," Hagans said, "but what I think also helped Olamide was the way he man- aged his time and what went into his body." And there's no doubt that the dynamic wide receiver saw those changes paying dividends this spring. "I definitely saw the impact," Zaccheaus said. "I made it a point this spring to get eight hours of sleep. It's a small thing, but you can tell the difference. Some days I couldn't get eight hours and I'd get like six or six and a half, and I could tell. "Even with my diet, drinking water and eating right, you can feel it when you're out there on the field or if you're inside lifting weights." In turn, he was able to have more success on the field and in addition, he was back to feeling more like himself. "I was just excited to get out there and play football, not really worrying about any- thing," he continued. "That was something I've dealt with in the past — worrying too much about different things, like whether I'm healthy or whatever. My mind is free now and I can just play. It felt really good." Head coach Bronco Mendenhall made clear during spring practice that the coaching staff plans to use Zaccheaus' unique skill set As a first-year in 2015, a healthy Zaccheaus returned 28 kickoffs for 541 yards, rushed 33 times for 262 yards and a score, and caught 21 passes for 216 yards and one touchdown. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA "We would love to get him involved as much as possible." WIDE RECEIVERS COACH MARQUES HAGANS ON ZACCHEAUS