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March 29, 2013
EDITOR'S NOTE: Throughout the spring UM's official web site, gogriz.com, will be featuring Montana football players who redshirted in the 2012 season, or transfers who are now enrolled at UM.
Peevey is a 6-2 ½, 250-pound defensive end from local Hellgate High School. He was an honorable mention all-state selection as a senior for the Knights at defensive end, and had 12 tackles for loss and 9 sacks that season.
He also was a two-year starter in basketball, and also was an outstanding tennis player as a prep. His high school tennis teams won three state AA championships during his career in that sport.
Peevey, who has added almost 30 pounds of weight and muscle in the last few months, is currently listed as the back-up at the "rush" defensive end position, and he's expected to contribute on the D-Line in 2013. He did extremely well in the classroom in his first semester and had a 4.0 GPA.
QUOTING ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH & D-LINE COACH LEGI SUIAUNOA: "I like him a lot. He possess a lot of the skills that I look for in a defensive lineman. He's young and coming off a redshirt year, so he's learning. I think this spring has been huge for him. He's done a nice job so far since the (2012) season ended, in terms of getting in the weight room and putting on body weight, and trying to learn the defense. He's coming along quite nicely for us."
WHAT WAS A REDSHIRT SEASON LIKE FOR YOU?: "It was a good year to kind of get the hang of things. Don't get me wrong. It was tough to go out there with the scout team, because you go out and practice just as hard as everyone else, but you don't get to play in games. It does give you more time to focus on your schoolwork and adjust to being a college student-athlete.
YOU GAINED A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WEIGHT & STRENGTH THE LAST FEW MONTHS. WAS THAT HARD TO DO? "It was definitely not easy. I started when I graduated from high school in the summer and probably weighed around 220 or less then. Once I got cleared to lift with the guys I took advantage of coach `O' (strength coach Rob Oviatt). Coach `O' has a great program down there, and he really gets us in the weight room as much as possible.
"I had to eat a lot more to start gaining a little more weight through fall camp. It was tough, because you'd be running and you'd be losing a lot of weight during practice - lose maybe seven pounds because of water weight. It was tough, but if you stick with Coach Oviatt's program it definitely got us going, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."
WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS FOR YOURSELF IN SPRING FOOTBALL?: "My focus right now is I've got to get my techniques down and get all the plays memorized, and just get the hang of the defense. I just need to understand the whole scheme of the defense of what we are trying to do. I want to try and figure out the best way that I can help the team this spring
"One thing I should mention here too, are my parents (Blake and Joanne Peevey of Missoula). They both mean so much to me, and have always supported me academically and athletically."
THERE ARE TWO OF YOUR FORMER HIGH SCHOOL TEAMMATES ON THE TEAM RIGHT NOW, AND Jesse Ginn (along with junior wide receiver Spencer Hale) PLAYS ON THE D-LINE WITH YOU. WHAT'S THAT LIKE: "It's pretty neat. Our lockers (Ginn) are right next to each other. He's only one year older than me, so we were on the team at Hellgate together for three years. I'd say it's pretty cool."
IT'S NOT RARE AT ALL TO SEE A PREP FOOTBALL PLAYER ALSO PLAY BASKETBALL, BUT WHAT STARTED YOU PLAYING TENNIS: "My brother tried out for the tennis team in high school, and my brother's, a big role model, Travis Peevey who is over at Montana Tech playing basketball. I've always looked up to him, and once he tried it and coach gave me a shot at varsity. I played with good players there, and they have a really good program, and it kind of snow-balled from there, and just kept getting better and better.
"Right now, at 250, it's not the weight, it's just that I'd be rusty. It would take at least two or three weeks to get the serve back and the feel for the court. But it's fun and I love the sport. I was proud to be a part of the Hellgate tennis team."
DID YOU GO TO GREAT FALLS TO WATCH THE KNIGHTS WIN THE AA HOOP TITLE? "Definitely. I am so jealous of those guys. A lot of them were my teammates there, and we took third in state my junior and senior years. I am just so proud of them for going out there and getting the title, especially for coach (Jeff) Hays. It was really special to go over there and watch those guys."
YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF RATHER UNUSUAL HOBBIES, RIDING A UNICYCLE AND JUGGLING. WHAT GOT YOU INTO THAT? "I started in middle school in sixth grade. My cousin (Derrick Snodgrass) had an old one (unicycle) in his garage that we started messing around on. One day we both really started getting really good, and we went out and bought our own. We started unicycling to the school in the morning. We got to the point where we could ride for blocks and blocks. The juggling was kind of the same thing. My cousin and I would just try new things, and juggling just happened to be one of them."
QUOTING HEAD COACH Mick Delaney: "Zach is very intelligent and does very well in school. He probably has as good a motor as anyone on the football team. I went and watched him play basketball as a junior, and I think the first seven or eight times down the floor he knocked someone down, and I said `there's a guy we want.' At that time I wasn't sure where he could play, because he was a linebacker, fullback type of guy. I really felt that he would be a good player with his hand on the ground and he'd grow into a defensive end, and that's what he's doing.
"He works so darn hard. He loves football. He's just a real special guy, I think, who is going to be an outstanding player for the Griz down the road."
A Personal Look at Zach
Favorite Food: Chicken breast sandwich with ranch.
Favorite class: Soc/Crim.
Favorite book: Harry Potter series.
Favorite TV show: Breaking Bad.
Favorite musical group: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
Favorite movie: Big Daddy.
If a movie were made of my life, I would like the following actor to play me: Channing Tatum.
The person in history I would most like to meet is: My grandparents.
Favorite sport other than football: Basketball.
Favorite sports figure: J..J. Watt.
Favorite NFL team: Houston Texans.
Hobbies/Special Interests: Writing poetry. (It was my senior project in high school).
Many people don't know this about me, but I: Was an all-state tennis player.
One of my hidden talents is: I can juggle and ride a unicycle.
The biggest "character" on your team is: Alex Bienemann. "Everything he says can make you laugh."
My greatest moment in sports so far is: Becoming a Griz.
If I were not participating in college football, I would be: Going to college and getting a degree.
The thing(s) I like best about The University of Montana is: 1. Tradition. 2. Schooling. 3. Community Fan Base.
What are the differences of being a Division I student-athlete now compared to you high school playing days: You represent a university and a community.
The thing that impresses me about Coach Delaney (or an assistant coach): Every single coach shows a vested interest in making you the best player/man you can be.
My advice to youngsters is: Don't ever make athletics an excuse to do poorly in school. The best athletes are successful in both.
My future goals are: Winning the Big Sky championship and a national championship, and graduating and earning a degree at The University of Montana.
If could have a "do-over" in your life at this point, and if so, what is it? Never. We all have moments we regret, good or bad, they make us the person that we are today.
