Wyomissing grad was snared by coaching web at Richmond
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Zach Zechman graduates from the University of Richmond this month with degrees in business administration and football.
The former Wyomissing quarterback won’t actually leave with a diploma for the latter, only with some great memories after spending three years on the Spiders’ coaching staff.
Zechman thought he was done with football after leading the Spartans to the PIAA championship game as a senior in 2020. He went to Richmond with thoughts of being only a student.
Turns out he learned as much about football and coaching in his four years as he did about business and finance; maybe more.
“After (my first) semester I realized I really missed sports and wanted to get back into it,” he said.
For a while Zechman considered walking onto the team to earn a spot on special teams or at safety – he was Defensive Back of the Year in Section 2 of the Berks League as a senior – but was so intrigued by being inside the ropes that he stuck with coaching.
“I really enjoyed our coaching staff and what I was doing there,” he said. “I wasn’t going to be a starter on our football team, and I knew that. I was thinking long-term (and about a future coaching at the college level). I really fell in love with the coaching side of it.”
His role at first was administrative, doing prep work to help the full-time coaches prepare for practices and games. He was an analyst during his sophomore year and spent game days in the press box on a head set with defensive coordinator Justin Wood, watching for tendencies and feeding him information about what the opponent might do.
By his junior year he was breaking down film, working closely with safeties coach Drew Anthony, and on the field working with the players.
Last fall he was running the scout team at practice, calling formations and plays Richmond’s opponents were likely to run. He was down on the field on Saturdays, relaying information from the coaches in the press box to the defensive backs.
Tasks such as those are usually assigned to graduate assistants or young coaches but Zechman impressed Richmond’s senior staff so much that he essentially became a full-fledged member of the staff.
“When you talk to Zach for just a few minutes, it’s obvious he’s a bright kid, and he was eager to help,” said Anthony. “It became clear pretty quickly how bright he was, how hard-working he was, and what an asset he was.
“He ended up doing everything that a GA would do, and more. He was an extension of the coaching staff. It was pretty cool to watch (him progress).”
Don’t tell Zach’s parents Stephanie and Todd, both teachers, but he was actually spending way more time on football – 50-plus hours in-season – than on his school work.
“I completely put football ahead of my class schedule,” he admits.
Watching game film and studying game plans, most would agree, is a lot more interesting than staring at business textbooks or financial charts.
Zach Zechman didn’t abandon his studies: He did well enough to secure a full-time job as a commercial real broker with a firm in Columbus, Ohio, after commencement.
That likely won’t be nearly as fulfilling as being part of Richmond’s football program, which won the Coastal Athletic Conference championship last season and reached the FCS playoffs for the third straight season.
As part of the Spiders’ staff Zachman would spend eight hours a day reviewing practice and game film. He’d often show up at the Robins Center before sunrise and leave after sunset.
“You have no clue how much time football coaches put in each week,” he said. “This is their lives. It’s a massive sacrifice. Most of the work is done behind the scenes.”
Being on the field each day for practice and working with the players was the fun part – but not without its challenges.
As an undergraduate, Zechman shared classes and living space and socialized with the same players he was coaching.
“That can be a really fine line to walk,” Anthony said, “a difficult position to be in, but he was so good about being able to manage that. The players trusted him wholeheartedly, the coaches trusted him wholeheartedly. It turned into a big asset for us.”
His peers came to rely on him to prepare for games.
“They saw that I knew my stuff and I could really help them out,” Zechman said. “(They knew) I watched more film than them (and that) I knew the defense inside and out.
“Athletically, these guys are unbelievable. To be able to help them with the mental side of football, that’s what really did it for me.”
Zechman didn’t influence just his teammates but his younger brother, as well.
Ben Zechman, who succeeded Zach as Wyomissing’s starting quarterback in 2021 and 2022, saw how much his brother enjoyed being a college coach that he has followed the same path at Wake Forest.
Ben, a sophomore, got his foot in the door by serving as an equipment manager in 2023. Last season he was a student intern. This spring he has played a bigger role, working with the linebackers and defensive staff.
During the Demon Deacons’ annual spring game last month Ben was on the sidelines signaling in defensive calls.
“I saw what Zach was able to do and how much he enjoyed it,” said Ben. “I thought the opportunity could be cool.”
Ben was a back-up defensive back at Wyomissing; most of his time was spent quarterbacking the Spartans to a 28-2 record over two seasons. Still, he picked up enough defensive knowledge to end up coaching that side of the ball.
“It’s crazy how well our defensive staff (at Wyomissing) prepared us,” he said. “I was able to take away so much knowledge.”
Ben has enjoyed being part of the team and traveling to great college venues such as Miami, Stanford, and Virginia Tech.
Ben’s an engineering major; he plans to pursue that field after graduating. He hopes to return to coaching football some day at the high school level.
Same goes for Zach.
“I have to,” he said, “or I’ll be kicking myself.”
