Zach Schlink, the 6-foot-4, 300 pound offensive guard from Centennial High School in Peoria, Ariz., says he has approximately 15 scholarship offers. Although he denies a leader, he favors Michigan, Stanford, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Arizona. All of his favorites have offered.
He also has offers from UCLA, Colorado, Colorado State, Illinois, Utah, Nevada and several others. Schlink, a Scout.com three-star recruit, attended junior days at both the in-state schools, Arizona and Arizona State, and plans on attending their camps this summer as well.
"Academics are number one for me," Schlink said. "The coaching staff is number two. I’m going to make all my visits before I make a decision."
"Arizona State is only about 45 minutes away and it would be nice to stay kind of close," Schlink said. "They have a Scholar Baller program, which is for student-athletes that have a GPA above 3.5. You get a patch on your jersey and they recognize your achievement. It just seems like they have good academic support."
The Sun Devils' in-state rivals, the Wildcats, are nearly three hours from Schlink's home and they were the first school to offer him last December.
With the importance that Schlink puts on academics it's no wonder that he has Stanford in his top five. "It's a great place," Schlink said. "I love their academics and everything seems to be really well run there. I visited the campus last year and really liked it. I think they'll be able to turn things around because the new coaches seem real good."
One of the schools that Schlink would like to visit is Michigan. "I just like how they have a great program over there," he said. "They are a winning team and have a great history. They always play in BCS bowl games and produce great players."
Schlink can bench press 350 pounds and has a 34-inch vertical jump. He runs a 5.3 forty.
"I can run and pass block well and I'm very versatile," he said. "If I don't block the first level, I'll find someone to block on the second level. I'm always moving.
"But I'd like to improve my speed and footwork," Schlink said. "I want to move around faster and have a better balance."
He reports a 3.4 GPA and took the SAT on May 5. "I know that Stanford said that I'd need at least 1000 on the SAT to qualify."