Eric Zambrano could not fight back the tears as he talked to Jeff Choate in late January.
Zambrano, a raw and talented 6-foot-3, 190-pound cornerback from Southern California, lost his mother when he was 11 years old. She died in a car accident.
Years later, Zambrano had to wait until two weeks before National Signing Day to receive his first Division I scholarship offer. When Choate offered the Upland, California product a chance to become a Bobcat, Zambrano’s emotions got the best of him.
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“Me and Coach Choate were talking at a hotel when I was on my official visit (the last weekend of January) and I cried in front of him just thinking of her,” Zambrano said in an interview in March. “My mom always motivates me, every day.
“I think of her every time I play.”
After signing with Montana State the first Wednesday in February, Zambrano’s next chances to play will in his mother’s honor will come for Choate at Montana State. He was one of 15 prospects who signed with MSU in February, bringing the total number of expected additions to the roster for the opening of fall camp in August to 34 athletes.
“Eric was on our radar for a while because his (high school) position coach played for us at Boise State,” Choate said on National Signing Day. “He’s a 6-3 corner with great size and length who we’ve been on for a while, but he transferred in (to Upland High) and worked his way onto everyone’s radar, Mountain West schools and even some Pac 12 programs expressed interest late.
“He had an awesome (recruiting) trip and I think the relationships really helped. I’m excited about Eric’s future at Montana State.”
Zambrano’s only offer came from Montana State. But he confirmed Choate’s notion that he received interest from Pac 12 and Mountain West schools the final month of the recruiting season. Zambrano, who transferred to Upland from Summit High in Fontana, California before his senior year, received interest from Cal and UCLA.
Former MSU defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander, now in the same position in Berkeley, was in contact with Zambrano during his senior season. Upland’s defensive backs coach is Rashaun Scott, a junior cornerback on Boise State’s 2006 Fiesta Bowl team when Alexander was a senior safety for the Broncos.
That connection — Choate was an assistant at Chris Petersen’s staff at BSU from 2006 until 2011 — helped Montana State identify the long, smooth athlete who spent most of his high school career playing wide receiver.
“Coach Rashaun Scott helped me a lot,” Zambrano said. “In the beginning of spring ball last year, I met (MSU offensive line coach) Coach (Brian) Armstrong and that was the first time meeting a Montana State coach. During the season, I didn’t hear from them at all. After the season was when I really started hearing from them.”
In January, Kane Ioane made his well-publicized return to the Bobcat coaching staff. The former All-American player and assistant coach recruited Southern California successfully during his first 13-year stint as an assistant at his alma mater. After two years as the recruiting coordinator at Washington, Ioane dove right back into the SoCal recruiting scene, helping MSU land Zambrano and others.
“Coach Kane called me one night and introduced himself to me,” Zambrano said. “It was almost like a father-son moment. It was a strong, touching introduction. That left an impression.
“Really, the first thing that sold me was the coaches. My No. 1 thing was the relationship with the coaches. Coach Kyle (Risinger), Coach Kane, those are great dudes. I know I can learn a lot from them and I know they can take me to the top.”
Growing up less than an hour from Los Angeles, Zambrano competed for Ground Zero 7-on-7, working mostly on offense until his transfer from Summit Upland.
Zambrano initially thought he’d get a chance in college on offense. But Scott told him the Scots would be short-handed at corner. In his first full year guarding receivers, Zambrano logged 86 total tackles as a senior, with four interceptions and nine pass breakups. He earned first team all-league, 2nd team all-area, and 1st Team All-CIF honors for an Upland team that won 12 games and advanced to the regional final of the CIF Division I-A Football Championships.
“The be honest with you, I think I can play any position on the field,” Zambrano said. “Corner, safety, receiver, slot. That’s just how I was raised. Coach Rashaun, they were down at corner so I said let me try it. I think I did well. I started getting recruited at corner.
“I love defense.”
When he gets to Montana State, Zambrano is interested in majoring in either business or kinesiology. He said the “cold was serious” during his first visit to Montana, but added that he’s excited to acclimate to a new environment.
Less than half a year ago, Zambrano was unsure if he would ever get a chance to play competitive football in honor of his mother again. In February, he earned an opportunity to continue his dedication.
“It really was special,” Zambrano said of signing his National Letter of Intent. “It was like, ‘I did it.’ My mom is up watching me, she’s smiling. I was about to cry in the middle of the speech. It was an amazing moment.”
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Photos by Brooks Nuanez and contributed. All Rights Reserved.
