Can four-star tackle Zalance Heard lead Neville to a state title
Zalance Heard does not remember what his first dish was, but growing up in the kitchen alongside his mom has turned him into an amateur chef.
His go-to seasoning? Tony's.
"Oh, I can cook," Heard said. "Real good."
He hasn't made any pregame meals for the Neville football team, but friends and family have gotten a taste of his culinary creations.
Heard has always been competitive. Having an athletic family turned the minuscule things into a competition and being the youngest ramped up his edge.
"Everything like who could get to the car first," Heard said. "Like everything we did was a competition."
Heard is No.1 in The News Star's inaugural Fab Four, a collection of the Monroe area's top college football recruits for the Class of 2023 as picked by the newspaper.
FAB FOUR: Monroe area's top college football prospects for Class of 2023
No. 2: Can Trey Holly set a new state record while finally getting a LHSAA state title
No. 3: Oklahoma State football commitment Kam Franklin focused on final Oak Grove season
No. 4: How Neville's Matthew Fobbs-White used football to break through his shell
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound tackle was an All-State and All-District 2-4A selection. He is listed as a four-star recruit by 247Sports Composite, ranked No. 5 in Louisiana and No. 60 in the nation for the class of 2023.
Rivals analyst Nick Harris said Heard's selling point is his size and how well he can move to keep guys smaller and faster in front of him.
"You can't only be big," Harris said. "You have to be able to move."
Heard began playing football at Neville his junior year, transferring from Bastrop.
"I don't have a life outside of football," Heard said.
Last fall, Heard lined up with LSU tackle and five-star Will Campbell. The Tigers have not won an LHSAA Class 4A state title since 2015. Last season, Neville fell to Warren Easton 45-17 in the semifinal.
"He's done a tremendous job in the off season helping the younger guys," Neville football coach Jeff Tannehill said. "Just really worked extremely hard to get where he is right now."
Heard has yet to commit to a football program, but has begun to narrow down the list of his top schools. He has more than 20 offers from FBS schools including Florida State, LSU, Nebraska, La Tech, Oklahoma State, Texas, Auburn and University of Houston. Heard said he visited the University of Florida and FSU, and left surprisingly impressed by both programs.
"It feels good, but at the same time I don't let it get to my head," Heard said. "I'm no better then the rest of my team."
Emely Hernandez covers University of Louisiana-Monroe athletics and high school sports. Email her at ehernandez@thenewsstar.com and follow her on Twitter @emhernandeznews.
This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Zalance Heard: the uncommitted offensive tackle is No. 1 on Fab Four
