Aggie Football landed a piece for the future that could lead to more conference championships (albeit in the Big South starting in 2021). 

On Sept. 7th, quarterback and Minnesota native, Zach Yeager committed to the Aggies for the 2021 season. Yeager chose N.C. A&T over schools like Alcorn State, Columbia, Colgate and others.

This could be the beginning of black athletes choosing HBCUs over PWIs. Athletes like Yeager could help N.C. A&T match the competition of Power 5 Conferences. 

Members of theScore team had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the quarterback over zoom. 

Yeager’s decision to choose N.C. A&T over the rest of the field was a simple one. Coming from a predominantly African-American high school, North Community High School, Yeager wanted to attend a university that would remind him of home.

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“Being able to play for my people is a big thing for me. Playing for a Black head coach and being able to put on for my community,” Yeager said.

Yeager continued, “Since eighth grade, I fell in love with HBCUs and after the George Floyd incident, it really pushed me. Why would I go play for the white man’s school, when I could go play for my family and my people.”

However, Yeager will have big shoes to fill. Former Aggie quarterback Kylil Carter left an indelible mark on the N.C.A&T football team. 

Carter led the Aggies to the Celebration Bowl in 2019, his senior season, and won in dominating fashion, beating Alcorn State 64-44. Carter finished the season with 18 touchdowns and 2,195 passing yards.

However, Yeager has been big on winning his entire career, so there should not be a drop off from what Aggie football is accustomed to. 

“I’ve been a winner my whole life and I don’t plan on losing not one game while I’m the starting QB at A&T,” Yeager said.

Yeager, is a 6’2”, 200-pound dual-threat quarterback. Yeager initially wanted to play the running back position until his father showed him that he can run and throw as a quarterback, becoming a dual-threat. 

Every young athlete had someone they model their game after and Yeager is no different from the norm. 

“My favorite is Cam Newton but the players I do play like the most is Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson,” Yeager said.

Yeager will be graduating high school in December and plans on enrolling in A&T in the spring semester. Yeager is very interested in the journalism field so expect to see him in Crosby Hall in the future. 

“I am going to study journalism at A&T. I love journalism,” Yeager said. “Since sixth grade, I fell in love with journalism. If I don’t make it to the NFL, my dream would be to write for ESPN.

Be on the lookout for Yeager in 2021. Aggieland is excited about what he has to offer on the field in the future.