Northeast programs scouting 2028 Massachusetts QB Zachary McKenzie

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

If you can wing it, college football scouts will find you. To put wins on the board, the college game has become dependent on the abilities of quarterbacks to execute a Spread attack as an elite passer or a as a dangerous dual threat. With the heavy emphasis on the position, next level scouts have started the evaluation process of quarterbacks at the eighth-grade level – Zachary McKenzie (6-1, 170) is one of those gunslingers teams are already tracking.

The 2023 season was spent tossing the pigskin around the gridiron with Eagle Brook High School (Deerfield, Mass.). McKenzie was tested against older competitors.

“I’m at a boarding school, we’d play other boarding schools and JV teams with some varsity players on there,” McKenzie said.

The rising QB spoke about the offensive scheme executed.

“We ran a Spread with four receivers wide, sometimes five, and sometimes we went three receivers wide with two running backs,” McKenzie stated. “We ran the Spread to spread out the defense.”

McKenzie continued, “We threw everything. The routes we ran depended on the coverage. If they were in Cover 2, we’d run a smash or a hitch on the outside to attack the corner. It all depended on the coverages.”

Going against older competitors helped McKenzie take his game to another level.

“Last year I improved on reading defenses and becoming a better player,” McKenzie shared. “My coach really influenced me. He helped me on reading coverages, attacking areas on the field, being a leader, and controlling the huddle.”

Being in a boarding school atmosphere helped McKenzie overcome a challenge working with a new team.

“A challenge was being with new teammates,” McKenzie said. “But being with them every day at a boarding school, being there every day, you build a strong relationship so they know I have their back and I know they have mine.”

Getting ready for another challenge, McKenzie has plans for his offseason grind.

“This offseason I am working on agility, speed, and strength,” McKenzie stated. “We have a strength program at my school. I am working on my footwork, how to step up in the pocket; I want to improve on that. I am working on my footwork in and outside the pocket.”

The Class of 2028 prospect is ready to jump up a couple of levels.

“Next year I am going to a high school; I will try to start as a freshman,” McKenzie shared. “We are looking for schools around my area in Connecticut or Massachusetts.”

Two D-I teams welcomed McKenzie to campus for games.

“I went on a game-day to UConn (Connecticut) and to BC (Boston College),” McKenzie said.

The time spent with the Huskies made an impact.

“It went really well,” McKenzie stated. “During the whole game, the energy there was incredible.”

While in Chestnut Hill, the Eagles gave McKenzie a full tour.

“It went great,” McKenzie shared. “I took a tour of their athletic facilities. During the game, it was a whole other level. It was great to be there. We went into the film room to see what pre-game is like.”

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