Florida TE/DE picks up more offers

Sarasota (Fla.) Booker tight end/defensive end Chris Zellner has seen his stock rise with a number of scholarship offers during the transition from spring to summer.

“I have offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Clemson, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Louisville now,” he said. “LSU has also been staying on me pretty hard, too, but they haven’t made an offer yet.”

Zellner (6-2, 230, 4.58) is an explosive prospect who could play on either side of the ball. He possesses a 300 bench, 450 squat and a 32-inch vertical. As a junior, he recorded 70 tackles and 17 sacks on at defensive end while catching eight passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns at tight end. He’s also noted as a strong blocking end, something that has many scouts projecting him on offense.

Asked if he had any favorites at this point in his recruitment, Zellner said, “Not yet. I’m just now looking into all the schools who have offered me. I’m taking them all pretty serious right now.”

And what are the keys for his prospective school?

“I’m looking for a strong education first and foremost,” he said. “After that, I want to go somewhere that I’ll get an opportunity to play pretty early, hopefully by my second year. Then I’ll be checking to see how I relate to their coaches. My mom also wants me to find a place where they have a coach with religious values and a good religious atmosphere.”

He grew up a Florida State fan, but has not received enough attention from the Seminoles to date. Clemson and Georgia Tech have been previously reported as leaders.

Other schools showing interest include: Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, NC State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Purdue, South Carolina, Syracuse, West Virginia and Tulane.

Zellner recently attended the Down & Dirty lineman camp in Florida, but has spent most of the summer concentrating on individual workouts. He may attend an Auburn one-day senior camp later this month.

Academically, he maintains a 3.1 GPA and has scored a 920 on the SAT.