Upon seeing the five-foot-nine-inch Zach Powell riding his fixed gear bicycle around campus or delivering Jimmy John’s sub sandwiches, not many look at him and think, ‘hey, that guy is on the football team.’ However, the senior majoring in science, technology and society doesn’t mind the lack of recognition he receives.

“It’s kind of funny,” Powell said. “I’ll be in class with someone and they will be like, ‘you play football? I had no idea.’ And we will have had multiple classes together. So it’s kind of nice to be the guy behind the scenes.”

Powell, a product of local Fuquay-Varina High School, was a standout in basketball and football in his time there. However, after captaining the football team his senior year, Powell did not receive any athletic scholarship offers.

Instead, Powell opted to attend N.C. State, the only school he applied to with ambitions of walking on to the football program he has been admiring from a young age.

Powell was not invited to walk on the team, but tried out in the summer before his freshman year, and was cut. Instead of settling for being a regular Joe Shchmo college student, he continued to work hard through his freshman year and earned a spot in the spring of 2008 as a walk-on.

“It was awesome,” Powell said. “All of my hard work really paid off and it has been a blessing.”

But for Powell, football is not what defines him. He is an active member of the servant leadership team for Athletes in Action, a Christian-based ministry group focused solely on athletes at N.C. State.

“Athletes have an incredible platform,” Powell said. “So many people, on campus and off, look up to football players, and athletes in general, know them by name and cheer for them on a weekly basis. I try to live out what it means to follow Christ, and be an example for my teammates, my classmates and everyone around me.”

Powell had the opportunity to travel to East Asia with Athletes in Action on a mission trip, where he took language classes at a sports university campus and practiced ministry with members of the university and community. Powell said the experience was unforgettable and he gained valuable knowledge of culture and himself while abroad.

“It was crazy, everything was completely different,” Powell said. “It was an awesome experience. I really learned about Jesus’ love for the world. It’s something I will never forget. I made real friends there, who I still keep in touch with. So it was a really great experience.”

Powell’s faith is something he takes very seriously, is what motivates him daily, and is a big reason he hasn’t given up after only appearing in a handful of games in three years with the program.

Being on the scout team doesn’t have the glitz and glam of being a star, but Powell embraces his role of helping his teammates prepare for each week’s opponent. He even cited one the most memorable moments of his career as a day in practice where he got the opportunity to play with the second string and intercepted quarterback Russell Wilson.

Before every home game, the coaching staff selects an offensive and defensive scout team player of the week to lead the team out of the tunnel holding a flag of the United States and the state of North Carolina. Powell has had the honor of leading the team out of the tunnel waving the flag of his home state twice in his career, something he cherishes.

“Leading my team out like that, carrying the flag in front of all of our fans is unlike anything else,” Powell said.

Every day in practice Powell competes against the likes of Owen Spencer, Jarvis Williams, T.J. Graham, and Darrell Davis, and takes pride knowing that if the receivers play well on Saturday, he has made an impact, regardless of whether he makes a tackle or picks off an opposing quarterback on Saturday.

“Your scout team has to be good because if you don’t get a good look from your scout team, your starters aren’t going to be prepared well enough to take on the opponent on Saturday,” defensive backs coach Mike Reed said. “These guys are out there competing because they understand the reward for being a great scout team player.”

Powell hopes to coach football after graduation next December, and said understanding and playing in different defenses with the scout team week in and week out gives him a better understanding of football.

“Playing in different defenses and watching all the film we do has really helped me understand defense and the game as a whole much better,” Powell said. “I’ve learned so much from being around such high-caliber coaches and playing at this high of a level.”

Reed, Powell’s position coach, had nothing but good things to say about Powell.

“There’s not really one word you can say about the young man that would describe him because he’s a complete person. He’s a complete player, and he is a model citizen,” Reed said. “In the era where a lot of times athletes are stereotyped against, here is a young man who walks the walk and talks the talk. He has a good grounding and a good set of beliefs. He comes in every day, does what he’s supposed to do and competes. He’s a great kid and a great guy to have on the team. He’s a great leader. If you want to talk futuristic with this young man, he will definitely be successful in anything he puts mind to.”