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#85 Zach Trujillo |
Position: Tight End Previous College: None Projection: Starter Status: On Scholarship |
Zach Tyler Trujillo (b. March 14, 1991) is an athletic player who developed into the No. 1 tight end in 2013 and will look to increase his role as a senior while also providing depth on special teams.
Now that perpetual goof-up Andre McDonald is out of the way, Trujillo is the unquestioned starter at the position. He will be tasked with mentoring a young group of freshmen, including Cody Small and Dayton Valentine.
Trujillo redshirted in 2010 and played mainly on special teams in 2011, but drew his first career start at Oklahoma State. He played in all 13 games in 2012, recording two catches for 72 yards; hauled in a 58-yarder against Miami and one reception for 14 yards at Iowa State; and also returned a pair of kickoffs for 22 total yards as an up man.
But the arrival of Jake Waters and McDonald's permanent doghouse status opened the door to a renaissance.
Trujillo played in 12 games in 2013, with seven starts, including starting nods in six of the last seven games.
He set career highs in receptions (5) and yards (111); scored his first career touchdown on a season-long 35-yard reception at Kansas; and also recorded a 27-yard reception against Louisiana and a 21-yarder against Baylor.
Paired with a senior quarterback in Waters and under the radar due to all the attention being heaped by Big 12 defensive coordinators on star wide receiver Tyler Lockett, Trujillo is positioned to have a sneaky-good senior year.
Prior to becoming a Wildcat, Trujillo played four seasons at Deer Creek High School, the final under head coach Grant Gower. He helped the Antlers to make two state playoff appearances.
Trujillo was a standout on both sides of the ball, recording 39 career receptions for 628 yards and 10 touchdowns; rushing 40 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns; and recording 200 tackles, 11 sacks and four interceptions.
He was named a first-team All-Edmond and all-district selection in 2008, and also an honorable-mention all-state selection by The Daily Oklahoman as a senior. Trujillo also was selected for the Oklahoma Class 5A West All-Star Team by the Oklahoma Football Coaches Association.