The mindset and ability to play in the trenches on the football field takes a special kind of individual who enjoys chaos. Count Buckeye Valley (Delaware, Ohio)defensive tackle Logan Dziak as one of those characters.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound bruiser, in the 2014 class, not only has the size and strength to compete on the battleground, but he also has the speed (4.96 forty time) to cause havoc in the offensive backfield at a moment’s notice.
“It's gruesome down there man and it's a battle every play,” admitted Dziak (pronounced Zack). “It's probably the dirtiest part of the football field. I'm not dogging on the wide receivers and stuff, but in the trenches its constant contact the whole game, especially at the defensive tackle position. When you're down on the inside, and the referees are on the outside, they don't always see everything. Let's just say a lot of stuff goes down in the middle. There's really nothing like it and I love it so much.”
Some may think he's a glutton for punishment, but in all reality he's just a warrior that’s willing to do the dirty work to help his team be successful. This type of attitude has already begun to jumpstart his recruiting a bit and he's ready for that journey to begin.
“Recruiting’s been going pretty well and I've been able to get out to a couple games this year,” claimed the talented junior. “I've also been getting a lot of mail from Cincinnati, Toledo, Ball State, Vanderbilt, Michigan and Illinois. I’ve also visited Duke, Indiana and Louisville as well.
Right now, I'm pretty high on Duke, Michigan and Vanderbilt, but I'm going to take my time."
Though it's still very early in the whole process for Dziak, he's really hoping to hear from a childhood favorite sometime in the near future.
“I haven't heard from Notre Dame at all yet, but I have been to one of their camps around my freshman year,” he shared. “I've always liked Notre Dame and they were my number one school coming in to this year, but I haven't heard much from them. I still like it up there and I fell in love with the campus as soon as I visited.
“If they decided they were interested in me, I would definitely be interested in them quite a bit. Especially now, since they’re the number one team in the nation, it's pretty awesome. I'm definitely hoping for some interest from them.”
According to the defensive tackle, if he had a chance to attend Notre Dame, it pretty much would be a no-brainer in his opinion.
“I like the academic and athletic combination Notre Dame provides,” explained Dziak. “Academics will always be number one for me and that's for sure, but I really like the tradition up there at Notre Dame. The tradition they have there is just unbeatable.”
Watching him terrorize an offensive line it's easy to see why collegiate programs are starting to take notice.
“I would say my run stopping ability is better this year, so I'm pretty big on that,” he stated. “I really pride myself on my foot work also. That means I have a good pass rush and that was my bread-and-butter a lot of these camps earlier this year. I definitely pride myself on the quickness I have off the ball.”
Knowing he will probably have the opportunity to play Division I football has allowed the Buckeye Valley standout to start narrowing down what he'll exactly be looking for in a school.
“First of all, I'm going to have to love the coaching staff and that will narrow things down pretty quick for me,” clarified Dziak. “Academics, again, are very important to me and Notre Dame would definitely fit that bill since they're one of the best schools in the country in academics.”
Would it be fair to say that if the Irish take a look at him they could be considered a possible favorite?
“If Notre Dame started showing me interest, I would definitely plan on getting up there for a visit when I could. It's like I said, I’ve loved them since my freshman year, so to hear from them would be great and they would be toward the top of my list.”
2014 WR Attracting Attention
Wide receiver prospect Markell Pack (Purvis, Miss./Purvis) is quite possibly one the most electrifying athletes in the class of 2014. Whether it's out jumping a defensive back 20 yards downfield for a pass or flying around the end on a jet sweep for a monstrous gain, it seems like the talented junior can really do it all.
“I’ve played all over the field at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, cornerback, safety, kick returner, punt returner and even punter,” stated Pack. “I really enjoy it, but it takes a lot of conditioning and commitment to do it.”
The 6-foot-3, 181-pound receiver has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.40 and recently finished the 2012 season racking up over 1,200 all-purpose yards (785 yards receiving and 444 yards rushing). On offense. He's also grabbed five interceptions from the defensive secondary.
This type of production has definitely caught the interest of some pretty big fish in a college football world.
“Everything’s been going real good so far,” he shared. “Right now, I have two offers from Mississippi and Mississippi State, but I’m also hearing from a number of other schools like Alabama, Michigan and really just a bunch of others.
Does he have any interest in Notre Dame?
“I would be interested in hearing from Notre Dame even though I don't know too much about them,” claimed the Purvis standout. “I know they have a good program, but I definitely have to learn more about them. If Notre Dame decides they are interested in me, I would definitely try to make it up there for a visit.”
