News Sentinel Top 10 in Tennessee, No. 5: Zach Rogers of David Lipscomb

Speed.

It's a must for most any football player. But for the most fleet-footed, speed defines them, makes them special and opens doors that the sluggish can't budge.

Such is the case with Zach Rogers, the News Sentinel's fifth-best prospect in the state.

"I think that's definitely my strong point," the 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver from David Lipscomb High School said. "I've been working on it a lot this spring. You've got to have speed to play at the D-I level. I've been blessed with some God-given talent and I just try to go from there."

So far, the work has paid off. In April, Rogers posted a camp-best 4.47-second time in the 40-yard dash in the Nike event in Athens, Ga., which uses stringent laser timing. On a handheld stopwatch, Rogers has run 40 yards in less than 4.4 seconds.

The camp time was the one that drew the most attention. Rogers had three or four offers before attending the event. Now he has 15.

"The speed thing definitely helped raise some eyebrows," Rogers said.

Rogers is considering offers from Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Duke and Oklahoma State. He says he is leaning toward signing with an SEC school, preferably one that can win a national championship.

That's not a glowing endorsement for Oklahoma State or Duke, two schools Rogers is considering mostly because of their UT ties. Rogers was very familiar with Duke head coach David Cutcliffe and Oklahoma State co-offensive coordinator Trooper Taylor when the two were coaches at UT.

"They're great coaches; they're great guys," Rogers said. "They're going to do an excellent job."

Had Cutcliffe and Taylor remained at UT, Rogers' path to Knoxville would have been obstacle free. Now, Rogers is trying to build the same relationship with the new coaches as he had with the old.

The only thing faster than Rogers this offseason were rumors that he's secretly committed to play for UT. Some thought Rogers would make an announcement after David Lipscomb's state championship game. Others say it's just a matter of time.

"I get a lot of that," Rogers said. "I'm not saying I won't go there but I want to explore my options. Austin's not always going to be there."

Austin is Austin Rogers, Zach Rogers' older brother and, subsequently, his strongest tie to UT. Playing alongside his brother is certainly one reason to sign with UT.

That advantage, however, would be short lived. The elder Rogers is slated to be a senior in 2009, which would be Zach Rogers' first year at UT.

One year to play together isn't alone a reason to pick a school where you'll play four or five years, Zach Rogers said. And besides, the Rogers brothers will be brothers even if they don't play together in college.

"We're going to have each others' back no matter what," Zach Rogers said.

Zach Rogers said the two brothers have never been closer since the elder brother went off to college. The two keep in close contact via text messages and phone calls.

"People say we're twins all the time," Zach Rogers said.

Which brings us to the similarities the two brothers share. When talking to the two or watching them play football, "twins" may be an understatement.

"A lot of people say we're the exact same guy in high school," Zach Rogers said. "We look alike. We run alike. People even say we run routes alike."

The question is, will they dress alike on Saturdays in 2009?

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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