Marian grad Zander Horvath trying to make a name for himself on L.A. Chargers

COSTA MESA, Calif. — It is a tough transition for an athlete to go from college football to the NFL. It is even more challenging when a player needs to gain weight. Adding the extra pounds is about going up on the scale but not losing the attributes like speed or elusiveness that got them to the league.

Mishawaka native Zander Horvath is going through that change. He needs to go from having a running backs body to transforming into a fullback. That is about a 20-pound difference.

That means he is on a 4,700-calorie diet, and since he is living in Southern California, it means more Mexican food.

"I did, actually," Horvath laughed. "It depends. I am eating anything right now just to fill out my diet."

Horvath has played running back his whole football career but knew that to play in the NFL, he would have to make some changes.

During his pro day at Purdue, he had a 35.5" vertical, broad jump of 10'3", and 31 reps of 225 bench press. He showed out in front of 30 different NFL team pro scouts.

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He sat down with his agent, and they thought he could be drafted anywhere from the 5th round to going undrafted.

So, he waited until basically the end of the draft. There were a couple of teams left when he was about to reach out to his agent to see where he was headed as an undrafted free agent when his phone rang. It was the Los Angeles Chargers informing him they were going to draft him with the 260th overall pick.

"Definitely excited about that, it was a little bit unexpected, too," Horvath said.

His path started at Marian High School in Mishawaka where he played running back at a high level. He rushed for over 3,300 yards and scored over 50 touchdowns on the ground earning himself all-state honors.

After high school, he had to make a tough decision even though he knew one thing was clear.

"I definitely wanted to play at the college level," Horvath said.

He had an offer to play running back for The United States Military Academy (West Point), but there was a 10-year commitment, and it wasn't what he was looking for coming out of high school.

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Indiana University offered him an opportunity to walk on as a linebacker, which he hadn't played since his freshman year, plus the Hoosiers didn't offer an engineering program.

Two weeks later, Purdue reached out via social media and invited him to take a visit.The Boilermakers wanted him to play running back and offered engineering.

"That was a no-brainer for me," Horvath said.

There were ten running backs ahead of him, so he had to work in both position groups and special teams to make his way up the ladder. He earned a scholarship his sophomore season and began seeing more playing time.

"So having them ahead of me definitely helped out and just being there for five years," Horvath said. "Same coaching staff, same players. You really start to pick up on things and just be more comfortable in your own skin when you're on the field rather than just kind of stressing out over the small things."

His final season hit a bump in the road when he suffered a broken fibula in the second game of the season (against UConn) but returned to play the final six games after missing a month. He finished his Purdue career rushing for 1,181 yards and scoring nine touchdowns.

"I'd say it worked out for my five years there," Horvath said.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco mentioned during the press conference after the draft that Horvath hadn't taken a snap at fullback.

"He was basically [former NFL FB] Mike Alstott there," Telesco said.

Alstott is whom Horvath models his game after. The former NFL fullback was also told to change positions after playing running back at Purdue. He was known as a battering ram that was elusive, so he had many ways of gaining extra yards.

Horvath's game looks similar to Alstott's in college. Now it is about being able to keep his running back skills while playing in a fullback's body.

"Really good size," Telesco said. "Tough, rugged, but a good athlete because part of that job is that you have to be on special teams. Come in and compete for a job."

Gabe Nabers has been the Chargers fullback since 2020. He has done a serviceable job, but it seems like the coaching staff wants a competition between fullbacks.

Horvath has come in not afraid to ask questions.

"Having vets ahead of you is good, and you got to try to take advantage of that," Horvath explained. "Don't be afraid to ask questions, too, because they're not here to keep you away from everything, not giving you knowledge but here to help you out and make the team better as a whole."

He is wearing number 45 for the Chargers and has seemed to have caught the eye of head coach Brandon Staley, who is encouraged by the progress.

"I think that he's had a great mindset to come in as a fullback and learn that job, and then understanding how big of a job the special teams component is going to be in him being a successful NFL player," Staley said.

The Chargers have broken for their break period until training camp starts on Wednesday, July 27th. That is when the competition heats up.

"We're going to learn a lot about him in pads," Staley said.

As a late-round draft pick or even undrafted free agent, the best way to make the team is by showing the team versatility. For Horvath, that means clear vision when blocking and carrying the football, plus being an ace on special teams making tackles.

"Any way to get on the field and to increase your value is going to be positive," Horvath said. "So, I'm just trying to take all the points on special teams as well. Get as many reps as I can."

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Marian graduate Zander Horvath converting to fullback for chance at NFL