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Zordich proud to be a Nittany Lion
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Penn State running back Michael Zordich (9) doesn’t need to spend New Year’s Day in Pasadena to prove his final season came up roses. The Cardinal Mooney High graduate helped the Nittany Lions go 8-4 this season, including 6-2 in the Big Ten.
Zordich, Penn State overcome scandal, NCAA sanctions for great season
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Penn State’s Michael Zordich doesn’t need to spend New Year’s Day in Pasadena to prove his final season came up roses.
“What we went through, how we handled it and what was done inside our locker room means way more to me than any bowl game you can play,” said Zordich, a Cardinal Mooney High graduate who helped the Nittany Lions go 8-4 this season, including 6-2 in the Big Ten. “I know it sounds cliche and it sounds cheesy but it’s the truth.
“I made memories with those guys on that team and we did some things for that university that are going to go down in history. It was good to be a part of that.”
Zordich, a senior fullback for the Nittany Lions, became one of faces of the program this summer when he stood next to star linebacker Michael Mauti in front of a group of teammates and declared his loyalty to a team that could have fallen apart due to severe NCAA sanctions in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
“I have a lot of passion to play the game and when that was threatened this summer, we really had no choice,” said Zordich. “There wasn’t a lot being said from our point of view in the media and on television.
“All anybody was hearing was how bad Penn State was going to be and how players were going to transfer and we weren’t going to have enough kids to play. And meanwhile, we were all sitting in the locker room saying, ‘Hey, we’re staying here and we don’t plan on leaving.’ So we needed to get in front of the camera to tell everybody, ‘This is our team and we plan on playing the season together.’”
Zordich played in all 12 games this fall, starting five, and rushed 80 times for 301 yards and four TDs. He also caught 15 passes for 152 yards and made four tackles on special teams. The Nittany Lions finished second to Ohio State in the Big Ten’s Leaders division but, like the Buckeyes, were ineligible for the postseason. Third-place Wisconsin earned the Big Ten’s Rose Bowl berth.
Zordich finished his bachelor’s degree in business management in August and will major in NFL preparation over the next few months. He’s already committed to playing in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Jan. 19 in Carson, Calif. and is on the watch list for several other All-Star games.
“It’s a good chance to get in front of NFL coaches and get coached by them and practice in front of scouts,” he said.
Zordich is in town this week for Christmas but he’ll soon head to Louisiana to train with Kurt Hester at XCEL Sports Performance, an NFL Combine training facility.
“[Making the NFL] is where 100 percent of my focus is,” said Zordich. “This is a dream I’ve been working to live my whole life. It’s in front of me right now and I’m doing everything I can to take full advantage of it.”
Zordich’s father, Mike, played 12 seasons as a defensive back in the NFL with the Jets, Cardinals and Eagles. The elder Zordich is now the secondary coach for the Eagles.
“My dad knows the way the NFL works, he knows what teams are looking for and what kind of guy teams are looking to take,” Zordich said. “But at the same time, it’s also up to my game film and the work I’m doing right now and the times that I run and what I have to say in meetings with GMs and coaches.”
Zordich’s fullback position is a bit of an endangered species in today’s NFL but he played special teams during all four of his seasons at Penn State and has experience with both the coverage and return units.
“Not every team uses a fullback but I feel like with the ones who do use it, the role is growing,” he said. “And I’ve tried to be as complete a player as I can be. Special teams play a huge role in the NFL and I enjoy being the type of player who can play anywhere.”
Zordich admits he’s grown up quite a bit during his time at PSU — he was nearly kicked off the team in 2010 after two underage drinking charges and a DUI charge over a seven-month period — and said he’s just trying to stay humble and hungry.
“I’ve made mistakes and I’ve learned from them,” he said. “Part of going away to school is becoming the person you want to be and learning how to take what’s happened to you and use it to grow.”