Temple University Athletics
Hanging Up the Cleats Was Never an Option for Zack Mesday
8.30.19 | Football
Size, position, injury history. All of these are reasons that elite high school athletes often find themselves without offers to Division 1 athletics programs. For many of them, this is a sign that it might be time to hang up the cleats, focus on getting into school and think about how to transition from being a high school student-athlete to being just a student in college. This is not the case for Temple sixth year defensive end Zack Mesday.
As a high school athlete Mesday said that "I was playing against competition I knew I was better than, but the kids had the size, and I didn't. I was projected as a linebacker going into college but had no linebacker film because I was not playing linebacker in high school." These truths are an unfortunate reality for many high school football players. These athletes are told they just do not fit the typical profile. Mesday was even told by the University of Miami "if you were 6 foot 3, you'd be on scholarship right now."
Mesday did not take this as a sign that college football was not for him. He opted to do a year of post-grad at Canterbury School, a prep school in Connecticut where in one season he recorded 72 tackles and 5 forced fumbles. However, after that year he still had no offers.
Not deterred, Mesday decided to enroll to Temple and made the team as a walk-on. Mesday said that every game he went out there thinking "the other team did me wrong." His journey had been uphill until this point. Once at Temple, Mesday suffered season-ending knee injuries in 2014 and 2015 keeping him from seeing any game time. A lot of people at that point would hang up their cleats. The doctor who performed Mesday's second knee surgery told him that he would recover, but probably never be the same. It was never an option for Mesday to throw in the towel.
On October 29, 2016, against Cincinnati, Mesday saw his first playing time in the final minute of a 34-13 victory. It was a "Rudy" moment as everyone on the Owls' sideline began to cheer "Mesday! Mesday!" to encourage the player who had spent two seasons battling back from injury.
The big turning point for Mesday was in 2018 where he picked up his first sack against the University of Maryland, a school that turned him away. Mesday went on to amass 33 tackles, 8.0 TFL and 4 sacks in 13 games.
Before his senior day game last season, Mesday was awarded a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA and a scholarship for the 2019 season. Looking forward to this season, Mesday wants his front seven to lead the nation in sacks. "It's a big goal, but we have the guys to do it."
He now begins his final season at Temple prepared to play for his third full-time head coach since arriving. Rod Carey inherited the sixth year graduate student, however, he has been a believer from the very beginning.
"People talk about Zack's effort and being an overachiever and all that comes with that," said Carey recently, "and that's all true. But he's got some ability too. Don't overlook that."
Mesday's story is one of perseverance. When a hurdle arose, he found a way to overcome it, whether quickly or over years. With his senior season starting on Saturday, his goals are lofty, however, lofty goals are nothing new to Zack Mesday.
As a high school athlete Mesday said that "I was playing against competition I knew I was better than, but the kids had the size, and I didn't. I was projected as a linebacker going into college but had no linebacker film because I was not playing linebacker in high school." These truths are an unfortunate reality for many high school football players. These athletes are told they just do not fit the typical profile. Mesday was even told by the University of Miami "if you were 6 foot 3, you'd be on scholarship right now."
Mesday did not take this as a sign that college football was not for him. He opted to do a year of post-grad at Canterbury School, a prep school in Connecticut where in one season he recorded 72 tackles and 5 forced fumbles. However, after that year he still had no offers.
Not deterred, Mesday decided to enroll to Temple and made the team as a walk-on. Mesday said that every game he went out there thinking "the other team did me wrong." His journey had been uphill until this point. Once at Temple, Mesday suffered season-ending knee injuries in 2014 and 2015 keeping him from seeing any game time. A lot of people at that point would hang up their cleats. The doctor who performed Mesday's second knee surgery told him that he would recover, but probably never be the same. It was never an option for Mesday to throw in the towel.
On October 29, 2016, against Cincinnati, Mesday saw his first playing time in the final minute of a 34-13 victory. It was a "Rudy" moment as everyone on the Owls' sideline began to cheer "Mesday! Mesday!" to encourage the player who had spent two seasons battling back from injury.
The big turning point for Mesday was in 2018 where he picked up his first sack against the University of Maryland, a school that turned him away. Mesday went on to amass 33 tackles, 8.0 TFL and 4 sacks in 13 games.
Before his senior day game last season, Mesday was awarded a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA and a scholarship for the 2019 season. Looking forward to this season, Mesday wants his front seven to lead the nation in sacks. "It's a big goal, but we have the guys to do it."
He now begins his final season at Temple prepared to play for his third full-time head coach since arriving. Rod Carey inherited the sixth year graduate student, however, he has been a believer from the very beginning.
"People talk about Zack's effort and being an overachiever and all that comes with that," said Carey recently, "and that's all true. But he's got some ability too. Don't overlook that."
Mesday's story is one of perseverance. When a hurdle arose, he found a way to overcome it, whether quickly or over years. With his senior season starting on Saturday, his goals are lofty, however, lofty goals are nothing new to Zack Mesday.
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