Who's who of college football lining up for Ben Davis CB Mark Zackery: 'I’m not sick of it.'

Mark Zackery is fully immersed in basketball season. The standout junior guard took on a new role this season as a primary ballhandler for the Class 4A defending state champions.

So far, so good. The 6-foot Zackery is averaging 8.9 points and a team-leading 3.9 assists per game for the 13-4 Giants, who are ranked No. 10 in Class 4A.

“I’ve had to adapt, coming off football season and catching up with all of them with a new team, building relationships with guys on and off the court,” Zackery said. “But I do feel like, when we lose games, or do well in games, it has more to do with me this year. It’s different. Definitely a change.”

Different team, same confidence for BD: 'We are still the best team in the state.'

Zackery had a bit of a late start to basketball season after helping his football team to a Class 6A state championship. The two-way football star, a four-star prospect, caught 53 passes for 823 yards and eight touchdowns as a wide receiver and made 39 tackles, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two caused fumbles for the 13-1 Giants.

Zackery is also uncommitted, which meant the contact period from Jan. 12 through Saturday was an especially busy time. Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman sat courtside with two of his assistants for Zackery’s basketball game against Carmel on Jan. 26.

And that is far from all. The new coaches from Indiana (Curt Cignetti), Michigan State (Jonathan Smith) and Michigan (Sherrone Moore) made visits to see Zachery in January. So, too, did Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Purdue’s Ryan Walters and Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck. Former IU coach and new Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen stopped by the school where he once coached to see Zackery. Cincinnati, Louisville, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC also checked in.

It is … a lot. Not that he is complaining.

“I’m not sick of it,” Zackery said with a laugh. “It’s a blessing from where I was freshman year and being able to experience winning a state championship while I’m doing it. Being recruited by all of these schools I’ve watched since I was little — I always thank God for that. I’m taking it all in and whatever comes with it and just enjoying the experience.”

Zackery, the highest-ranked in-state recruit by 247Sports (No. 62 overall in the country), is being recruited as a cornerback. He is ranked as the No. 7 cornerback in the country by 247Sports. “They feel like I am versatile and can play other positions (on defense), though,” Zackery said.

The next step for Zackery is to narrow down his choices to “probably five or six” schools, he said. That process will likely come in the next few weeks before the start of sectional play in basketball, which is the final week of February. Football recruiting is in a dead period (no in-person contact) until March 3, then a quiet period (college visits only) until the next contact period starting April 15.

“I’m going to try to limit as much chaos as I can outside of basketball and school,” Zackery said. “These last three weeks have been somewhat hard on me because I’ve been getting a little bit behind in school with basketball and the recruiting stuff. I’m trying to focus on what’s best for me in basketball and the future (with football). With the dead period now I’m trying to get back on track with school and focus more on the basketball team and helping us get where we’re supposed to be.”

Zackery posted his top-10 schools on Jan. 15. That list: Cincinnati, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, USC and Tennessee.

“A lot of (coaches) have spoke highly of me and how they feel about me,” he said. “I’m just building those relationships and talking to the coaches more, feeling out what was is best for me.”

As he works on narrowing down that list, Zackery is focused on trying to lead his basketball to a second consecutive championship and his third overall.

“I feel like we are one of those teams that can go win a championship this year,” he said. “We talk every day about how we can build each other up and get each other better. Me and K.J. (Windham) and Mark White have been in this position before and been in a lot of big games. I feel like we can bring that experience and let our teammates know we’re capable of doing what we did last year.”

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Football recruiting: Ben Davis CB Mark Zackery state's top 2025 player