Zach Hovey is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior tight end from Eden Prairie.
Zach Hovey, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior tight end from Eden Prairie (MN) High, helped lead the Eagles to Prep Bowl title the past two seasons. The two-sport athlete also helped Eden Prairie to a fourth place finish in last week’s Class AAAA boy’s basketball tournament.
Gopher Hole recently caught up with Hovey to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What schools are you hearing from in football right now?
Zach Hovey: For football, right now, I am hearing from a lot of Big Ten colleges, a lot of Ivy League colleges, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford. Just a lot of big schools. I am hoping to go to one of those, but I am also hearing from some smaller ones, too
Gopher Hole: Did you get a chance to go to any Juniors Days at all this year?
Zach Hovey: I went to the Minnesota Junior Day and I am thinking about going to a North Dakota Junior Day. There are some others that I am thinking about going to. I don’t have my final schedule set in stone yet, but I am working on it.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought about any football camps for this summer yet?
Zach Hovey: Yes, that is another thing that I have been thinking a lot about, especially in June and July. I don’t have that set in stone, either, but I am working on it.
Gopher Hole: Did you go to many camps last year?
Zach Hovey: Last year, I went to Minnesota. I went to a Wisconsin camp, an Iowa camp. I didn’t go to too many.
Gopher Hole: Playing at Eden Prairie, where you are such a great running team that you are not getting a ton of receiving opportunities. I have seen you play in person several times and you have made some big catches. Is it ever a little bit frustrating that you don’t get a chance to showcase the skills that you have that are maybe going to intrigue some colleges?
Zach Hovey: I just want to win, to be honest. We have got a lot of great, unbelievable players on our team and we have to use every single one of them if we want to pull this thing off and win a state championship.
Gopher Hole: You have won back-to-back state championships and you lose some good seniors like Grant Shaeffer, but you have some good returning players like Anthony Anderson and some others. What are the expectations for the upcoming season?
Zach Hovey: We just have to be confident and we expect to go all the way, but we have to take it one step at a time, one game at a time, one play at a time, one practice at a time and prepare to win another state championship.
Gopher Hole: How much do you think playing basketball helps you for football in terms of foot work?
Zach Hovey: Basketball helps me with my foot work and conditioning. My coordination. That is one of the main reasons I play. I love basketball, too. It is great to get out there winter and play and get back to it for football in the summer, spring and fall.
Gopher Hole: Does it ever make it tough though for you to gain weight or keep weight on?
Zach Hovey: Gaining weight has never really been a problem for me. It’s not like I am trying to get 270 or something like that. I lift in the mornings before school to build muscle. Of course, that is important.
Gopher Hole: Are colleges looking at you strictly as a tight end or do they see you as a player who if you get bigger and stronger, could move to a different position?
Zach Hovey: I think that Oregon asked me if I would be interested in tackle, so I have been talking to them about that a little bit. My love is tight end. My heart is set there, but I’ll go wherever the team needs me to go or the coaches put me at. I just want to play.
Gopher Hole: Tight end is a little bit more glamorous, but when you play tight end at Eden Prairie, you are going to blocking a lot, right?
Zach Hovey: Three tackles on the field (laughing)
Gopher Hole: What things are you going to be working on once basketball is over to continue to improve yourself as a football player?
Zach Hovey: I am going to get in the weight room a lot more. Right now, I am going in there two, three days a week. I’ll be getting in there four days a week. I’ll be going after school. I’ll be throwing a lot more. Working on my football foot work. It is a little bit different for football than basketball. I’ll be working on that. I’ll be getting a lot faster and working on my 40 time for camps and combines.
Gopher Hole: Have you been tested in the 40-yard dash recently?
Zach Hovey: My fastest was a 4.9. That was last year before football.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a football player?
Zach Hovey: I love blocking. I am very physical. I like to do that. I like to get my hands on the ball and get in there and run over kids.
Gopher Hole: I know that your quarterback, Grant Shaeffer, was a good runner and good thrower when he had to be. What are the prospects at quarterback with him graduating?
Zach Hovey: We have a few. We have Ryan Conley. He is a great junior. He played a little D-end in the state championship against Lakeville North.
Gopher Hole: So I should not expect Eden Prairie to throw the ball 40 times a game, right?
Zach Hovey: No. No. Coach Grant has a system. We have a system two years in a row. We are hoping for three.
Gopher Hole: Do you come from an athletic family?
Zach Hovey: I have an older brother. He is two years older. He goes to the University of Iowa. He is a swimmer.
Gopher Hole: Is that something that you have been involved in?
Zach Hovey: I swam for four or five years. I started when I was eight and I went until I was 13 or 14. I quit because of basketball. I figured it would help me more for football.
Gopher Hole: You attend the Minnesota Junior Day back in February. What did you have a chance to do or see when you were at the campus?
Zach Hovey: I got to meet a lot of the coaches. I got to see the facilities, their training room, their field and all that stuff. I just got to know the program a lot better.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Zach Hovey: Right now, they are just interested in me. They invited me to spring practices. They’ve invited me to games. I got invited to all their home games last year.
Gopher Hole: How many were you able to make?
Zach Hovey: Every one of them.
Gopher Hole: Are you going to try to make it to a couple of the spring practices or the spring game?
Zach Hovey: Yes. I am hoping to. Like I said, my schedule is still up in the air. I’m not exactly sure what I am going to do yet. I am hoping to see some practices at Minnesota and maybe the spring game.
Gopher Hole: Minnesota has a couple of Eden Prairie kids on the roster. Is playing for the homestate school something that would appeal to you?
Zach Hovey: Yes. Absolutely. I think that when you are a kid, your dream is go to grow up and play with the Gophers. If they are interested in me, obviously, I’ll be interested in them.