Malcolm Ziglar, the No. 1 player in North Carolina from the Class of 2024 according to On3.com, makes his college commitment during a press conference at Fuquay-Varina High School. He is choosing between UNC, Notre Dame, and South Carolina.
Good afternoon. I’m James Maford, athletic director at People, a Arena High School. And it is my pleasure to be here today as our one of our outstanding student athletes, Malcolm Zigler announces his decision on where he will be playing football next year. I’d like to take a moment to thank a few people that have helped Malcolm on his journey. First, his family, you all sacrificed a lot of time supporting Malcolm and without your support, he may not be sitting here today. I would also like to recognize our coaches at the high school. You all have made a big impact on Malcolm’s life and given him memories. He will cherish forever. I’d also like to thank our athletic trainers. They put countless hours in with all of our student athletes and I know their doors have always been open for Malcolm Malcolm on behalf of Verina High School. I’d like to thank you for representing Puke Waver in a high school in a positive way in the classroom and also on the football field, you’ve made some outstanding, you’ve had some outstanding moments here at high school. There’s so many and I know you’ll have some outstanding moments at the next level in college. Thank you. And I’d like to wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. Now, I’d like to turn it over to a few people to say a few words about Malcolm. We’ll start with head football coach, coach hol. I appreciate everybody coming out. This is really cool. We, we don’t get this very often and, uh, this has been a wild, um, I knew the first time I saw Malcolm when he came walking in the going on and hear this guy come walking in. This is something I could tell. You could tell that we had something special and he has lived up to it. I’m looking forward to this year with him, but this whole recruiting process, he’s handled great, he’s handled, he’s been humbled, he’s been responsible and every single coach that I’ve spoken to have only had positive things to say about m and that goes to his family. Thank you for raising such a great young man and we really appreciate it. We appreciate him and we look forward to this year wherever he decides to go. I know he will represent, you know, with class and that’s, that’s, that’s what we want. Uh, this time coach Harrington, I appreciate everything he’s done. He’s helped with the whole recruiting process and he’s had a lot of one on ones with Malcolm and his family and we really appreciate that. Um I’m not a man of many words in front of big crowds. Um, but, uh, Malcolm is like one of my, uh, all my guys are, uh, when I pray D BS into the collective, they become, uh, certainly and he’s one of them. Um, we have a saying in our group, our no fly zone group, uh, hard work pays off. We believe in going hard all the time. You gotta put in the hours and if you put in those hours, when you work hard, it will pay off. I tell them all the time, you’re not going to see it today. You’re not gonna see it tomorrow, but you will see it. But you gotta trust me. And that’s one thing he did. He trust me and I appreciate his parents, trusted me and let me get on him like I do because I’m, I’m very hard on him. He knows that from the beginning of ninth grade year when I told him I was going to put him up on varsity. I said you’re not going to play the first two games. I told you that didn’t, I said you see the field and he was like, ok, big eyes, nervous, worried and I finally got him out there on the field and I think it was game two when I finally got him out there. I think that’s when it was and he hadn’t left the field since. Um, he’s a, he is the example of what you want as a football player, hard working culture, good person. We get that a lot. We get a lot of players like that as coaches. We see that a lot. Um every now and then you get a guy that has those attributes, but he’s also very, very talented and then you put that mix and you got a very, very good football player. I’m proud to be his position, coach, uh coordinator, track coach, confidant. Oh, and his dad on pregame Bills. That’s another story for another time. But I look forward to coaching him this season and whatever decision he makes, we’re gonna back him 100% proud of it. All right, if you a commissioner Bill Harris can come up. Hello, everyone. I am just elated to be here. I think this is great for the town of, I think it’s just one of the most exciting events for our town to be represented by such an outstanding person as Malcolm Zigler. You know, Malcolm has brought us together doing one of the things that I think is so necessary in sports and that is anticipation. When you play football, you have to be able to anticipate it. And I think we see that here today, how Malcolm has drawn all of us together, you know, no house is built unless it’s on a firm foundation. And I think we cannot ignore this moment without acknowledging Malcolm’s parents. I think it’s very important for us to honor them and what they’ve done to instill those values in Malcolm that are exemplified as he plays sports. And so I like to thank uh the family, the Zeigler family for all that you’ve done because our family comes to values and the lessons of integrity that Malcolm so well, exemplifies here in the town of, I bring you greetings from our mayor and our Board of Commissioners. We do cherish this particular moment. We acknowledge it. And to Malcolm, I want to say, uh whatever your choice is, congratulations. I hope that you will keep going. I know you have an intermission. You have the kind of integrity and demeanor that that is so characteristic of a winner. So I have no doubt in my mind that whatever you choose to be, you will be successful at it. I wish you God speed and I leave you with this quote from Benjamin Mays who is the chancellor at Morehouse College. He said to, to the students, whatever you do do it so well that nobody who has come before you, nobody who is present or nobody who will come after you would do it any better. So, congratulations to you. God bless you. God speak. Now, Stacy Smith from the Strong Center Youth Football Program could come up. Good afternoon, Stacy Smith. I’m here on behalf of the board of the Strong Center for Excellence. We are very excited to be here to celebrate and support Malcolm and the whole Zigler family. Malcolm began his football career as an eight year old with our organization playing for five years. He was special from day one. This moment represents the dreams and aspirations of all of our young football players. We congratulate him on the success thus far and wish him God’s speed and his decisions today and forward. We are all behind him and we are stronger together. Now, I got my one story about Malcolm because I was one of his coaches when he was 10 and I would coach kick off and kick off return. So we’re working through all of our plays and plans. And one day Malcolm decided to give me his suggestions and he wrote out the entire play where he thought he should be in the mix and you can imagine where that was. I loved it. You know, we try to get everybody in the right spots and again, that confidence that he has now today even showed back then and I always have smiles about Malcolm and what he did on the field and I’m going to really look forward to seeing him do the same out in the next level and just great to see whatever decision you make. We behind you. Thank you right now. If a ramble pot can come up. Thank you. Um I’m speaking on behalf of me, Kristen and Anderson, I guess you say we’re his second family home away from home. Um So first, I wanted to thank Sean Dale and for allowing Chris and I to be a part of life and journey through the recruitment process. It has been really fun watching all happen. He is truly like another. I first met Malcolm on a cold Monday night, the week of Thanksgiving 2016. He has always been very outgoing and will talk to anyone. He came up to us and he started talking to us like we were not strangers. He has always made people feel very welcomed, whether he knows you or not. It was Anderson’s first year playing football and he played for the Town League. He got invited to play for the Strong Center organization to come practice and play their team in a Turkey bowl game. The next year, Anderson joined Strong Center. I will always remember one night after one of the games, Anderson and his grandfather used to always kneel out on the field and pray together whether Anderson wanted to or not. They were on one knee with their heads down, starting to pray when Malcolm runs up, puts his hands on their shoulder and joins the prayer. I knew at that moment that there was something special about me that was the beginning of a special friendship between Anderson and Malcolm. It was also the beginning of a special bond that our family now has with them. Malcolm always knows that Kristen and I love you and we will always be here for you. We look forward to sharing this journey through football and life. You’re about to begin and will cheer you on regardless of whether you are a gang cop fighting Irish or a tar heel. We love you and congratulations. All right now I’d like to turn it over um, to the reason we’re here and give the mic uh, to the person you all been waiting for. Malcolm Zigler. Yeah. First of all, I would like to thank God for putting me in this position. Um I’d like to thank everybody for coming out and supporting. I think everybody has helped me along the way, coaches, families, friends don’t know who you are. You know, with that being said the next 3 to 4 years, I’ll be going to the University of North Carolina here and we got a video to play. Thanks. Uh so I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out and supporting um Malcolm and uh on behalf of our family, we truly just appreciate everyone and all that you have sewn into our son because truly, we did not do this alone and we all know that it takes a village and you have been part of that village. And I just want to thank everyone for taking time out of their schedule at 1 p.m. to show up to support our son and to my son. I say I am proud of you. You have handled this with class. You have walked the walk and I am so proud of you. I’m proud of your decision and I know that the best is yet to come. Good luck. And you know that mom will be your biggest cheerleader and your greatest fan and I love you. Thank you all for coming out. I see. I, and then this.
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