Herzog ready to take his shot with CFL’s Roughriders after standout collegiate career

Article content

A few months ago, Holy Names high school product Zach Herzog was considered a top 20 draft prospect by the Canadian Football League’s Scouting Bureau.

Article content

But for the 24-year-old Herzog, who spent five seasons in Michigan at Hillsdale College, this year’s CFL Draft became a much longer waiting process than expected.

“It was mixed emotions,” Herzog said of the draft wait. “I definitely expected to be picked earlier and had to wait around and there was a lot of stress.”

The Saskatchewan Roughriders finally ended the drama in the seventh round taking Herzog with the 63rd pick overall.

“I’m just excited I landed somewhere and I get to go to camp and get to show,” said Herzog, who will head out Monday.

Listed as a 5-foot-9 and 192-pound safety, Herzog is pretty sure his size played a role in his slide on the draft board.

“With a lot of teams, the knock is I’m 5-foot-8 1/2, but I’ve dealt with that my entire life and don’t think being short is a disadvantage,” Herzog said. “Being an undersized player has made me have to better with my technique and my focus on things. I can’t get sloppy. It’s actually worked to my advantage to focus on things.”

Article content

Herzog spent time at running back in high school as well as linebacker while running sprints in track and field. His size shifted him to strong safety at the collegiate level, but the speed and strength he showed at Holy Names helped make him a natural for the switch.

“I grew up my whole life playing linebacker and didn’t grow anymore, so I had to adjust,” Herzog said. “I played strong safety my entire (college) career. So, I was in the box, I was coming down into the box and I also had to play in space (for coverage). I think that really fit my game and showed my best traits.”

He moved into a starting role in his sophomore season at Hillsdale and became just the fourth player in school history to earn first-team, all-conference honors in three-straight seasons. Herzog’s final season saw him finish sixth in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference with 98 tackles along with a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and six pass breakups.

Article content

“I don’t think I’m close to touching my ceiling,” Herzog said. “As a player, you’re always looking to get better, to learn from coaches, to film study and go over technique over and over again.”

Solid stats and a good attitude, but there was still work for Herzog to do to get noticed. He had to go through the Ontario Combine to earn a spot at the main CFL Draft Combine and that’s where the Roughriders really took notice.

“We liked Herzog’s toughness and competitiveness,” Roughriders’ vice-president of football operations Jeremy O’Day said. “He had a strong interview at the combine and was a very productive NCAA college player with more than 200 career defensive tackles.”

O’Day expects Herzog to compete for a spot at safety and also contribute on special teams, but he now has a foot in the door and an opportunity to shine and that’s all he’s ever wanted.

“I’m excited to finally be done this whole process of waiting and hearing people say things about me,” Herzog said. “Now, I’m somewhere and have some control over my own situation.

“Now, I get to play football, but now it’s back to work. I haven’t been given anything and I still have work to do.”

[email protected]

twitter.com/winstarparker