St. John’s (DC) three-star cornerback Zahbari Sandy had a stellar second-half in Saturday’s win over Don Bosco (NJ) as the 6-foot-1, 195-pound prospect was a key reason why Bosco failed to establish any passing attack. It took one quarter for Sandy to find his groove as he officially kicked off his junior year, but the length and improved defensive IQ helped guide his success.
“It felt good. First time coming back in a while, like three years. Felt real good,” he told Inside the Black and Gold. “I really wasn’t doing that well in the spring. [Saturday] first half, picked it up in the second half. Really just my eyes and my spots and knowing where to be, that’s what I picked up on. Did well with my eye discipline.” Sandy shines in a Cadet secondary that features Stanford verbal Josh Thompson, three-star cornerback Phil Rawlings and 2023 cornerback Collin Gill as the unit entered Saturday with full confidence. “Every game, we come in confident. We watched the film on Bosco, we knew we were the better team so we just came out and performed it. That’s what the outcome was.”
But Sandy was already an established name on the recruiting trail with verbal offers from Pitt, Maryland, West Virginia, Louisville, Penn State, Boston College, and Cincinnati already in the fold. Sandy told Inside the Black and Gold on Wednesday that Maryland, Penn State, Pitt, Wake Forest, Tennessee, and Louisville were among the schools to reach out today as college coaches begin initiating contact with the 2023 class. Sandy was not able to visit any schools this summer but knows a pair of Big Ten schools he wants to get to for a game this fall.
“Couple Maryland games, Penn State games,” Sandy added. Running backs coach Elijah Brooks is the primary recruiter for Sandy and the three-star prospect is giving the hometown school a look. “That’s home so they’re always going to show love. I like them a lot.” Maryland has also inked four top players from the Cadets over the last two cycles, a feat that isn’t lost on Sandy.
“I’ve been talking to a couple of them. Rak, you know, he’s the face of Maryland now so I’ve seen a lot of stuff. They’ve told me it’s been good.”
With Sandy newer to the recruiting process, there’s a handful of initial questions he plans to ask when he does begin visits this fall. “The academic part and also ask where I fit on the depth chart. If I’m a number one or two guy, three or four, so that plays a big role because I want to play early.”
St. John's is set to host Butler (NC) on Saturday in the second game of Sandy's junior season but with the bulk of his junior season ahead of him, Sandy knows what he wants to put on film at the end of WCAC play.
“I just want coaches to know seeing my film, the way I play the ball, I can be a playmaker and make the key plays.”
Sandy is rated a three-star prospect and an 88 overall by 247Sports, sitting as the fourth-best prospect in D.C.