Bailey Zappe's lone season as the starting quarterback for Western Kentucky couldn't have been more eye-popping. As a redshirt senior transfer from FCS school Houston Baptist, he produced one of the greatest passing campaigns in college football history for the Hilltoppers.
In a pass-happy offense, Zappe set NCAA records. Across 14 games this past year, the 22-year-old became the sport's all-time leading passer in both yards (5,967) and touchdowns (62), and in Western Kentucky's 59-38 beatdown of Appalachian State in the Boca Raton Bowl, Zappe threw for 422 yards with six touchdowns. NFL teams may be wary about Zappe's potential at the pro level -- he's from a mid-major program -- but he isn't worried about the doubters.
"I feel I've proved to everybody this past year that, being 6-foot-1, I can play with anybody," Zappe told The DA Show on Monday. "That's the biggest thing, showing everybody what I can do. Throughout this draft process, being able to learn from people I'm training with and getting me prepared for the NFL, I think height is really nothing that's an issue. I'm just excited to be in this draft process, I'm excited to have this opportunity.
"And wherever I go in the draft, I'm going to give my all. And I'm going to make make sure the decision made on me is the best one they've made... Being at HBU for those four years and being at that level -- being surrounded by those great coaches -- really helped me change and morph into a better player, on and off the field... To be able to go out there at WKU and play the way we did is awesome to look back at. We definitely proved a lot of people wrong."
Zappe, who declared for the draft in late December, is listed as the seventh-ranked quarterback and 99th overall prospect on Pro Football Focus' annual big board. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, he has the ability to stretch the field, and throw with accuracy and velocity in the pocket. One of the reasons why Zappe thrived in 2021 was because of his offensive coordinator, Zach Kittley, who served as Zappe's head coach at Houston Baptist from 2018-2020.
The NFL's scouting combine begins this Thursday in Indianapolis, and Zappe will be one of the 324 college prospects in attendance. To no one's surprise, the Texas native was named MVP of Conference USA, and he also received the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose award, which is presented to the top offensive player in the nation. The NFL Draft is scheduled for Apr. 28-30 in Las Vegas.
The entire football conversation between Zappe and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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