4/24/2018 football Edit

Newly offered quarterback set to visit NC State

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

Zach Calzada was offered by NC State last week. (Rivals.com)

It has been a good week for three-star quarterback Zach Calzada from Lanier High in Sugar Hill, Ga.

This past weekend, Calzada was named the MVP at the regional Nike Elite 11 quarterback camp in Nashville, Tenn.

Before that, Calzada — who is 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds — picked up his first Power Five Conference offer when NC State extended one. The Wolfpack tender came after offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz stopped by his high school during the spring evaluation period.

“I’ve definitely been able to learn a lot [about NC State] through talking to Coach Drinkwitz,” Calzada said. “It’s a very successful football program that finished in the top 25 last year. One of the top teams in the ACC. It’s definitely a great academic institution. Their offense is something I have talked to Coach Drinkwitz about and could see myself thriving in.”

Calzada is not sure how NC State initially found out about him. He completed his first season as a starting quarterback last fall, completing 116 of 227 passes for 1,706 yards and 15 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, and he rushed 34 times for 117 yards and three more scores.

Drinkwitz reached out for the first time about three weeks ago. The next step is a visit to Raleigh, which will happen this weekend.

“I just want to get a feel for the facilities, for the campus and for the coaches and people around it,” he noted. “I just want to make sure it’s a good fit for me and somewhere I could see myself at.”

Pittsburgh is expected to stop by the school Thursday to evaluate Calzada. He has also been offered by Appalachian State, Kent State, Old Dominion, Rice, South Alabama and SMU among numerous others.

“I want to be patient but not too patient,” Calzada explained. “I am probably going to see what I have on the table after spring practice and then make my decision on where I need to go to camp and where I need to take visits during the summer. Then, hopefully, a few weeks into summer I can find a place that fits me.”