Penn State has earned commitments from just over a dozen prospects from Florida over the past decade. Most of those players have come out of either Tampa or Miami. In fact, new defensive tackle Zane Durant is the first from Orlando.
A product of Lake Nona High School, Durant broke out as a freshman back in 2018, totaling 35 tackles that season, including six for a loss of yards, adding two sacks. By the time he finished up his sophomore season, it was clear that Durant was true Power Five prospect, with West Virginia being the first school to offer at the end of 2019. Within a matter of months, that his offer count grew to double digits, and it’s been all uphill from there.
“Zane is a generational-type kid,” said Lake Nona head coach Anthony Paradiso. “We’ve been open for 12 years and we’ve had two high-level freshmen come in and play at a very high-level right away, and Zane is one of those players. We also had [Tucker] Israel back in 2014, and he signed with Clemson. He was our best offensive player to come through and Zane has been our best defensive player.”
Related: DT Zane Durant discusses his commitment to Penn State
In his three seasons at Lake Nona, Durant has helped lead the Lions to a 19-12 record. The program is only 12 years old, and while they’ve had winning seasons all but three years, Nona hasn’t reached the level of some other elite programs in the Sunshine State. However, leaving has never crossed Durant’s mind, and that leadership has been felt throughout the roster.
“Everything he does, in the classroom, in the weight room, in the offseason, it’s been excellent, especially in the age where kids are always transferring schools when they don’t get what they want or if they think they can get more somewhere else,” Paradiso said. “With Zane, he’s always been committed to our program, his teammates, his coaches and our school. He’s just an awesome kid and I’ve been blessed to be his coach. I couldn’t ask for a better player to work with, on and off the field.”
At 6-foot-1, 260 pounds, Durant is expected to play as either a three- or one-technique defensive tackle at Penn State. Lake Nona primarily plays a 3-4 defense, so Durant has spent most of his high school career playing in the five-technique, although he does have experience further inside. On offense, he’s primarily played tight end, and sometimes even receives carries out of the backfield.
“Physically, he’s a monster. He really could probably play quarterback for us if we needed him,” Paradiso said. “He really is that athletic. He can run, catch and is incredibly quick off the ball. He’s strong enough to play inside, as a three-technique, but is also quick enough to play off the edge. He’s as quick as some linebackers, playing at the defensive line position. Someone asked me the other day to compare him to an NFL player and I compared him to Aaron Donald. He’s that athletic.”
Penn State didn’t jump into the mix with Durant until January, after he totaled 40 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in just eight games. That performance earned him both All-Metro and All-District honors. Paradiso added that he knows James Franklin from a previous recruitment, and that he and his staff have been excellent throughout the process.
“I had a good bit of a contact with them when they offered and at times throughout the process,” he said. “I actually met Coach Franklin when he was still at Vanderbilt. They hosted a receiver of ours, and I had a chance to meet him then, so I know that Coach Franklin is a quality person and he surrounds himself with quality people. They kept in contact with us every step of the way. Our experience with them has been all positive.”
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