Motta proves he belongs

PAISLEY, Fla. – Linebacker or safety, it doesn't matter where you put Vero Beach, Fla., four-star athlete Zeke Motta at. He just wants to go out there, compete and prove to people he's one of the best players in the nation.

And he's done just that in the first two days of the FBU Top Gun Showcase Camp at the All-Star Sports Training Complex. Working out at both safety and linebacker, Motta has had some big moments early on.

"To have fun mainly is why I came," he said. "Secondly, I came to see how I match up against the better players in the country."

To put it mildly, he belongs.

But that's no surprise because schools that have evaluated Motta – the nation's No. 14 safety – have found a tough, hardnosed player that can easily be coached. Plus you're not going to find too many players that are put together quite like him.

And while going to college is important, Motta is also very much a team player.

"I'd say being a team player is big for me," he said. "You can't win without a team behind you. There's always the saying 'there is no I in team,' and I think that's true. As long as our team is working together, then we're going to be successful and so will I.

"The biggest goal would be to win state. After that as far as college choices. I'd l like to take my five visits and see how that goes, see how I fit in and make the decision after the season sometime."

He also has a big goal off the field to graduate early and get ready for college.

"I want to still be to able to make sure I can still do well in the classroom," he said. "I'd like to finish this on-line class, so I can graduate early at semester. It's important to get out early. It's definitely beneficial to get in early and get used to the system."

Speaking of systems, Motta isn't quite sure which one is the right one for him. He's got a slew of scholarship offers from teams like Auburn, Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Stanford, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Wisconsin. He's still trying to sort through the schools that are high on his list, but a few tend to stand out a little bit.

"I'd say I'd like to take a visit to Notre Dame for sure," he said. "And I couldn't really tell you after that. That's really the only one that I know I'm going to visit for sure."

He still also covets an offer from the Florida Gators.

"They said they want to see how I play next year," he said. "So I respect that. I'm going go out and give my best next year and hopefully have another good season."