2017 National Signing Day Profile: Michael Ziemba

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Michael Ziemba, 6’3”, 245 pounds, Lake Mary, FL (Lake Mary High School), DE/TE, 247Sports Composite Ranking: 3-star (82.55)

The Indiana Hoosiers continue to recruit the Sunshine State incredibly well as they added yet another prospect from Florida to their roster. Michael Ziemba, a 3-star prospect from Lake Mary, has sent in his fax letter and officially joined the “Hoosier Army”. Ziemba had an extensive offer list and he chose IU over Cincinnati, East Carolina, Purdue and Appalachian State. Ziemba would probably have been ranked higher than he ended up being but he suffered an injury that forced him to miss all but one game of his senior season at Lake Mary High School. IU linebackers coach William Inge has been supremely valuable as a recruiter in the Central Florida area and he was the lead man on Ziemba’s successful recruitment.

“It was a pretty long process. After my visit I really like Indiana,” Ziemba told the Orlando Sentinel after committing. “It’s been great though. I really love the coaches at Indiana, they really make me feel like I’m at home there and I really want to play for them.” 

Inge wasn’t alone in helping convince Ziemba that Bloomington was the place for him. He also heard from his former high school teammate, breakout star wide receiver Nick Westbrook. 

“He’s definitely been a big part of this and it’s exciting to know that he’ll be there when I get up there. I’m also friends with all the other commits and they’ve been pushing me and wanting me to hop on board.”

Ziemba was a versatile star in high school, playing linebacker, defensive end and tight end. During his junior season, he had 21 catches for 300 yards with four touchdowns along with 59 tackles and one sack. He has good athleticism and size so he could be a blocking tight end in the mold of Anthony Corsaro or Danny Friend but it’s our belief that he will begin his time in Bloomington as a member of Mark Hagen’s defensive line. The Hoosiers are looking for impact defensive linemen and they have loaded up on them in this class. Ziemba’s highlight tape showcased how physical he is capable of being and he definitely seeks out contact while on the field. There’s always room in the defensive line rotation for a tenacious tackler.