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Zico Pasut was playing
offensive tackle for newly opened Ardrey-Kell High School in Charlotte
in late 2006 when he decided to play catch with some teammates before
practice one day.
“I saw him out there
throwing the ball around and he was catching everything around him,''
Adrey-Kell coach Marty Woolbright recalled recently. “We immediately
moved him to tight end.
"That was when he was a
sophomore. Last year he had a big coming out year at tight end.''
A 6-foot-3, 240-pounder
who's been timed at 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Pasut spent the
entire 2007 season playing tight end for the Knights. He made 28 catches
for 386 yards and two touchdowns, which was more than enough to impress
major-college programs like Duke, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Appalachian State and Western Carolina were other schools that offered.
But even though Pasut
received scholarship offers from those schools, it was East Carolina
that landed a verbal commitment from him during a wave of pledges the
Pirates received after opening wins against nationally-ranked Virginia
Tech and West Virginia in September.
ECU extended the first
offer to Pasut last spring, according to Woolbright, who consequently
mailed out a highlight DVD to a number of other schools. West Virginia
arrived next with an offer after watching the video, followed by
Virginia Tech and Duke.
“All those schools were
looking for his type of tight end,'' Woolbright said. “He's not a big
tackle-type tight end. He's a very athletic guy who can play in the
backfield or on the line of scrimmage or we can send him in motion. He
can do a lot of different things.''
Woolbright offered two
examples from last season of Pasut's versatility.
“We ran a counter last
year where he's blocking down inside,'' Woolbright said. “He blocks down
and knocks his guy all the way across into the center. Then he runs down
field about 30 yards and delivers a key block for the back to go for the
touchdown.
“He also made a diving
catch last year against West Mecklenburg for a two-point conversion to
win the game. He's made a lot of big plays for us. Even this year
already he's had four big catches for us on third-and-long plays and
picked up first downs. He's just a go-to guy for us.''
Pasut began his prep
football career at South Mecklenburg as a ninth grader. But he moved to
Ardrey-Kell when it opened the next fall.
Woolbright started him out
at offensive guard, then shifted him to tackle before finally realizing
he had a tight end on his hands. He was one of 23 varsity players who
played both ways that first season, starting at defensive tackle as
well. Pasut is playing tight end and defensive end this season for the
Knights.
Pasut earned first-team
All-Southwestern 4-A Conference honors as a junior and was as
second-team pick for the All-Charlotte Observer squad.
But Pasut's honors didn't
end with football season. He played a key role as the right fielder in
Ardrey-Kell's run to the Western 4-A regional baseball title. The team
finished with a 28-6 record. Pasut earned second-team All-Mecklenburg
honors after batting over .300.
Pasut's commitment to the
baseball team may prevent him from enrolling at ECU a semester early.
“He's played baseball all
his life,'' Woolbright said. “They played for the state championship
last year and lost. Even though he has an opportunity to go there (ECU)
in January, I think he wants to take another shot at that state
championship.''
Woolbright said Pasut will
be concentrating only on football once he reaches Greenville.
“I feel like he can get on
the field early there,'' Woolbright said. “He's going to get faster and
he'll be 250 or 260 (pounds) by the time he reports. He's got good,
strong legs and very soft hands.
“And the intensity. He
just doesn't quit. If we're not doing stuff full speed in practice he
gets very frustrated. That's the type of guys you're looking for.''
