Florida OL Teter Talks About Connection to Cal
On April 18th, offensive tackle, Zachary Teter, from Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland, Florida made his appearance at Cal to check out the program on an unofficial visit. He received an offer from Cal earlier in the year.
Teter said his experience on the trip was something he won’t forget.
“It was a really good trip. I loved everything there. The coaching staff is amazing, the players were great to get to know. Overall it was just a great experience,” said Teter.
While on the visit, Teter was introduced to several coaches in order to get to know more about the program. The coaches, of course, had a big impact on how he views Cal as a whole.
“I feel like I have a really good relationship with Coach Greatwood," said Teter. "We got to know each other a little bit, especially at Cal. I think he is a great guy and has a very respectable background. Overall, he respects his players and he knows how to get stuff done.
"Coach Wilcox is another very respectable man. He knows how to run that program and how to push his players physically with football, but also to push them academically in the classroom."
The 6’5” 290 pound junior’s skills make him a national-level recruit, as many schools have already shown great interest in him as a player. Programs such as Cornell, Yale, Harvard, and Notre Dame, have all given him offers in hopes that he will choose to be a part of their program.
“They are all great schools," said Teter. "Every one of them has a great program. Academically, Cal is a very, very high standard."
It it clear that academics are just as important to Teter as sports are. Though it is often hard to find a successful athlete that has the time to maintain exemplary grades, Teter manages to pull it off well, currently holding a 4.2 GPA. His future career is extremely important to him and he feels as if Cal definitely offers a strong foundation for his field of interest.
“I am interested in majoring in biology," noted Teter. "Cal really offers a strong program in that field. One of the top professors, Professor Firestone, is publishing a story about how broccoli can kill cancer cells. I want to go into the biology field because I want to become a physician’s assistant or a doctor of orthopedics just to try and stay in sports. My dad is the head athletic trainer for the Detroit Tigers and I just love what he has done."
Teter currently lives in Lake Gibson, Florida. He claims that if he were to choose Cal and move to Berkeley, the transition really wouldn’t be too tough at all.
“The Berkeley area kind of actually reminds me of my hometown because we in Lake Gibson, sit right in the middle of two cities," said Teter. "For Berkeley, it’s San Fran and Oakland, and for me, it is Tampa and Orlando.
"Right now, the weather is pretty similar to California weather. The trip for me wouldn’t really make that much of a difference because I am used to not being home a lot,” said Teter.
Through the excitement of receiving several offers, Teter has kept himself on track, setting several goals for his upcoming senior year. He realizes the crucial role he needs to play as an upperclassman and is also determined to maintain his high academic standing at the same time.
“Honestly, I want to help my team get better. I want to help push my teammates and help fill in that leadership spot that we lost last year with our outgoing seniors," said Teter. "With our senior class during my freshman year, they really left an impression of being able to affect the little guys.
"I remember Baveon Johnson, he went to my school and then on to Florida State, and he was just a really big influence on me to always push through and to always stay humble.
"Academically, I want to keep up that 4.2 mark."