The Arizona Wildcats landed a basketball player over the weekend. He’ll play for the football team.
Dallas Baptist power forward Zach Lord announced that he’s transferring to Arizona, where he’ll take his 6-foot-9-inch, 272-pound frame to the football field.
Lord, who was recruited by first-year offensive line coach Kyle DeVan, attended UA’s spring practice last weekend. He also took a tour of the Wildcats’ facilities, including the new indoor practice center.
Lord plans to transfer to the UA next month. He hasn’t played football since middle school, and even then, he only played two years of Pop Warner.
The Liberty Hill, Texas, native received an opportunity to play football at a Division I school the simple way: He asked. Lord entered his name in the NCAA’s transfer portal, and then contacted any program he could. Arizona, SMU and Memphis all showed interest. Lord will join the UA as a walk-on this summer with hopes of earning a scholarship. He’ll be eligible to play right away.
The Star talked to Lord about his decision to play for Arizona, and what position he will play once he gets to the UA:
Zach Lord
Why did you decide to make the jump from basketball to football?
A: “Mainly it was because I’ve always wanted to play football. DBU was good to me and I was getting to the point where I wanted to play on a bigger stage and I always loved football. It’s kind of funny: My mom’s best friend is KimAnn England, (Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator) Wade Phillips’ sister, and she’s the daughter to (legendary NFL coach) Bum Phillips. When I was in eighth grade, Bum sat me down and we were just talking. He goes ‘So are you trying to play football?’ And I told him I was going to play football in high school, but my high school ran the Slot-T offense and he said, ‘You don’t need to play football in high school. You’ll kill your knees.’
“So I took his advice and didn’t play football; just played basketball. Got a scholarship for basketball and he said, ‘When you get to college, you’ll be big and athletic enough to play football if you want to.’ So I was just at a point where I was ready for a new challenge and I love the sport of football. I love the aggressiveness and the mentality you have to have in order to play football.”
So was playing football always a part of the plan?
A: “When I got into college, I wasn’t planning on going to DBU. I wasn’t planning on going to DBU at all. I didn’t know about it until I got offered. My junior year of high school, I had a Jones fracture (in my foot that lasted) until my senior year, so all of the colleges dropped me because I was out for the whole year … they just went to the next guy.
“I had nowhere to go and my sister went to DBU and they offered me, so that’s the main reason why I went to DBU. In the back of my mind, I always wanted to play football. It wasn’t an actual plan until maybe about a year ago.”
So how did Arizona find you, or vice versa?
A: “Right after I got into the transfer portal, I literally sat down and called every D-I football team in the nation, just hoping someone would take a chance on me because I had no film. I’m a big kid, and I have basketball film that I sent out and there was only about three or four schools that gave me a chance. So I took a visit to SMU, Memphis and Arizona and I just fell in love with Arizona.”
Since you spoke to DeVan, will you be playing offensive line?
A: “We don’t know yet. I’ve always wanted to play tight end so they’re going to see if I can run the route and catch the ball. If they don’t like me there, then they’ll move to see if I can play left tackle — and then if that doesn’t work out, I’ll try out defensive end. Wherever they can use me.”
What about football made you fall in love with it?
A: “You can check out my highlights for basketball, I’m just a physical person. I was always getting called for fouls because I was stronger than the other guys and I would just move people. Even the refs were like, ‘Dude, you need to play football.’ I’m going to give this a shot.”
What did you think about facilities at the UA?
A: “I loved it. Coming from a Division II basketball team, the facilities were amazing.
“The football stadium is amazing and the new indoor facility is amazing, I love that. I loved how big the weight room was. Everything about it, I loved.”
What were your first impressions of Kevin Sumlin?
A: “He was really nice. He’s a very high-character guy, I like him. I followed him when he was at Texas A&M, because my cousin was a part of the football team.
“She worked with the team so we always followed their football program. My aunt also went to Texas A&M so it’s pretty big in my family.”
What influences did you have to make the decision to play football at Arizona?
A: “I relied on God. I met the right people at the right time and the only reason why I was taking visits was I wanted there to be a clear sign and I wanted God to put that clear sign in my life.
“And when I got to Arizona, I just felt this peace like it was home. I didn’t feel like that at SMU or Memphis.”
What are you studying when you enroll at the UA?
A: “Right now I’m a business major, but I might switch over to Kinesiology.”
