Why Minnesota is starting a true freshman walk-on at quarterback
“In today’s world there are not a lot of quarterbacks that want to compete,” Annexstad’s coach at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Kevin Wright told 247Sports on Monday evening. “Everyone wants the job handed to them, and when it’s not you see them transfer. That’s at the high school level, college level — that’s just common place. I think he knew it’s a marathon not a sprint.”
Wright said, after hearing the news that PJ Fleck indeed named him the starter, the football facility at IMG was buzzing all day Monday about Annexstad. From walk-on to Day 1 starter is certainly the road less traveled to being named QB1 at a Power Five school, but it’s the ultimate goal that Annexstad has been working towards for over two years, aiming to play at his father Scott’s alma mater.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Annexstad didn’t look much into scholarship opportunities from Cincinnati, Illinois, Pittsburgh and Western Kentucky. His plan was always to return to his home state and play for the Gophers. So with that, halfway through his high school career the Norseland, Minn. native sought the best competition available, opting to transfer from Mankato West where he was the starter to IMG Academy and it’s roster full of future Division-I players.
That summer all the way into the fall, Annexstad battled now-Texas A&M sophomore Kellen Mond for the starting gig and ended up starting the last game of the season. Then when Annexstad thought the job was finally going to be his heading into senior year, another touted quarterback in Artur Sitkowski (who could win the job at Rutgers in fall camp) transferred in and beat him out at the start of the season for the job.
“He’s used to competing,” Wright reiterated. “Zack is a guy that’s always had the mentality, 'I’m going to win the job.' Nothing else has really mattered. It’s not arrogance. It’s a confidence. He has a great personality. His teammates loved him. That’s one of the things we noticed here when he was in the game. He had a calming effect on his teammates and they really believed in him. They were always confident when he was in the game they were going to make things happen. That it factor is something that carries with you when you go to the next level. It doesn’t surprise me at all what he’s doing.”
When Annexstad beat out Sitkowski, Wright said he “never looked back.” He completed 63-of-112 passes for 10 touchdowns as IMG finished an undefeated season ranked No. 2 in the MaxPreps XCellent Top25. He had already accepted a preferred walk-on spot to Minnesota back in September, joining his older brother Brock who is now a red-shirt freshman. Pitt offered a scholarship in December but Annexstad was bought in to returning home.
Wright said his coaches and players loved Annexstad because of his approach and because, frankly, they knew his underdog mentality had several years of seasoning. Competing against Mond and Sitkowski, who had the scholarship offers from coast to coast, he continued to grind towards his own ambition.
“First and foremost, they’re getting a guy that knows how to lead,” Wright said. “He knows how to rally people around him and get the best out of those guys. That’s a trait. It’s hard to develop guys that want to lead. It’s hard to develop alphas around alphas. It takes a level-headed kid that exudes confidence and pulls people up. I think he’s tremendous leader and savvy kid who’s tough.”
247Sports ranked Annexstad as the nation’s No. 31 pro-style passer in the 2018 class. Wright says he has the traits to help second-year coach Fleck take this program where he wants to take it.
“I saw a picture of him (Monday) and his upper body has really developed,” Wright said. “He had a good frame to start with. He’s always been a tough kid. He can take shots, he stays in the pocket, really good at RPOs and processing. He’ll give them a chance and get them in the right play and know where the ball needs to go. He runs the ball well enough they can utilize him at times in the run game. I doubt they’ll make a living with it but he’s a big strong kid. He has that ability and I know Coach Fleck’s offense is pass first but he wants his quarterbacks to have some ability to run the football.
I think he’s a guy he’s able to make all the throws and more than anything he stands in the pocket and he can go through progressions and he processes. He has a good arm but he also has good touch on the ball. I think with Zack he makes a mistake doesn’t get down on himself and nothing rattles him which I think will be important as a true freshman.”
Read more at:
https://247sports.com/Article/Why-M...ue-freshman-walk-on-at-quarterback-120882326/
