Written by Brett Korpi
How did he get here? How was a two-star recruit from Fort Wayne, Indiana, able to lead a Western Michigan University team to an undefeated season, their first MAC conference championship since 1988, and a matchup against Big Ten West division champion Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl? How exactly did Bronco’s quarterback Zach Terrell get to “Jerry’s World,” in Dallas, Texas?
FAITH
During his redshirt year in Kalamazoo, Terrell watched as the Broncos went 4-8 which led to the departure of head coach Bill Cubit, the man who recruited him. P.J. Fleck would be the coach replace Cubit. In the first year under Fleck, Terrell would start 9 games as a redshirt freshman and the Broncos would go 1-11. It was a season that would be trying for anyone in their first year under center at an FBS school.
“A lot of people might have shied away and lost that faith and belief, question where you are at, if Western Michigan is the right place for me?” Terrell said at the Nation Football Foundation Awards. “I believe God had me there for a purpose, he has made it clear this year that being faithful and staying the course, it’s been a special season.”
That faith and the wherewithal to stay the course, led Terrell and Western Michigan to back-to-back 8-5 seasons and two bowl appearances, before this year’s undefeated run and national ranking.
Terrell also gives back to his faith by serving as a leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and as a mentor at Tree of Life. He has led missions to the Dominican Republic.
INTELLIGENCE
More important than his success on the field, Terrell, has put his work in the classroom as well, having graduated cum laude in 3.5 years while leading the Broncos. He was named the 2016 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete of the Year and received the William Campbell Trophy, known as the “academic Heisman.”
The 23-year-old is currently pursuing his MBA after graduating with a 3.66-grade point average in finance last December. A two-time Academic All-MAC selection, he was twice named a MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and is a six-time member of the Dean's List.
Terrell attributes his success in the classroom to a support system and time management. “It’s the people that I surround myself with, that push me to focus on the things that matter. There are a lot of sacrifices that need to be made.”
Work Ethic
When Fleck first arrived on the Kalamazoo campus, he was not impressed when he first worked with Terrell.
“When I first met Zach Terrell, just like everybody, you ask who they are, you kind of look them up and down. Wow, this is one of the quarterbacks we have to work with.” The energetic coach said of their first encounter. “We’d go to practice and he had a great work ethic, but he was very quiet, he didn’t say much.”
The 6-foot-2 and 204-pound quarterback set out to prove the coach wrong. “No, no, Coach. You got it all wrong. You got it all wrong. I'm not like that. Just give me a day or two to prove it." Terrell replied to the coach.
What he has proved in four years, is that even though he lacks impressive size and arm strength, he is one of the best passers in the country. Through his career, Terrell has started 48 games and thrown for almost 12,000 yards and 93 touchdowns, including this season in which he has thrown for 3,376 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just three interceptions while completing 70 percent of his passes.
“I’m just proud that he stuck around, and the rest is history.” Fleck exclaimed, “I think he is one of the best if not the most prolific quarterback in the country in 2016.”
The graduate student has one more important task remaining in his college career. That is a meeting Wisconsin's seventh-ranked defense.
"They get after it," Terrell said of the group he will be facing. "The biggest thing that I have seen is the physicality, they just love to hit and keep hitting."
If Terrell’s last four years tell us anything, his faith, intelligence and work ethic will have him prepared for the final exam at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas on January 2.
FAITH
During his redshirt year in Kalamazoo, Terrell watched as the Broncos went 4-8 which led to the departure of head coach Bill Cubit, the man who recruited him. P.J. Fleck would be the coach replace Cubit. In the first year under Fleck, Terrell would start 9 games as a redshirt freshman and the Broncos would go 1-11. It was a season that would be trying for anyone in their first year under center at an FBS school.
“A lot of people might have shied away and lost that faith and belief, question where you are at, if Western Michigan is the right place for me?” Terrell said at the Nation Football Foundation Awards. “I believe God had me there for a purpose, he has made it clear this year that being faithful and staying the course, it’s been a special season.”
That faith and the wherewithal to stay the course, led Terrell and Western Michigan to back-to-back 8-5 seasons and two bowl appearances, before this year’s undefeated run and national ranking.
Terrell also gives back to his faith by serving as a leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and as a mentor at Tree of Life. He has led missions to the Dominican Republic.
INTELLIGENCE
More important than his success on the field, Terrell, has put his work in the classroom as well, having graduated cum laude in 3.5 years while leading the Broncos. He was named the 2016 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete of the Year and received the William Campbell Trophy, known as the “academic Heisman.”
The 23-year-old is currently pursuing his MBA after graduating with a 3.66-grade point average in finance last December. A two-time Academic All-MAC selection, he was twice named a MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and is a six-time member of the Dean's List.
Terrell attributes his success in the classroom to a support system and time management. “It’s the people that I surround myself with, that push me to focus on the things that matter. There are a lot of sacrifices that need to be made.”
Work Ethic
When Fleck first arrived on the Kalamazoo campus, he was not impressed when he first worked with Terrell.
“When I first met Zach Terrell, just like everybody, you ask who they are, you kind of look them up and down. Wow, this is one of the quarterbacks we have to work with.” The energetic coach said of their first encounter. “We’d go to practice and he had a great work ethic, but he was very quiet, he didn’t say much.”
The 6-foot-2 and 204-pound quarterback set out to prove the coach wrong. “No, no, Coach. You got it all wrong. You got it all wrong. I'm not like that. Just give me a day or two to prove it." Terrell replied to the coach.
What he has proved in four years, is that even though he lacks impressive size and arm strength, he is one of the best passers in the country. Through his career, Terrell has started 48 games and thrown for almost 12,000 yards and 93 touchdowns, including this season in which he has thrown for 3,376 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just three interceptions while completing 70 percent of his passes.
“I’m just proud that he stuck around, and the rest is history.” Fleck exclaimed, “I think he is one of the best if not the most prolific quarterback in the country in 2016.”
The graduate student has one more important task remaining in his college career. That is a meeting Wisconsin's seventh-ranked defense.
"They get after it," Terrell said of the group he will be facing. "The biggest thing that I have seen is the physicality, they just love to hit and keep hitting."
If Terrell’s last four years tell us anything, his faith, intelligence and work ethic will have him prepared for the final exam at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas on January 2.