Recruiters said he was too small to be a linebacker.
Coaches said his athletic future was in baseball.
Zach Arnett played college football anyway.
Three years later, the senior is leading the University of New Mexico into its 2008 season as the starting middle linebacker and team captain.
"This year is the test to see if what people said about being too small is true or not," Arnett said. "I got to play quite a bit last year, but this is my first big opportunity to be a starter and prove myself out there. We'll see if my size will hold up through a 12-game season, hanging with bigger, stronger and faster guys."
The 5-foot-10-inch, 205-pound Arnett originally signed with UNM's baseball team and planned to walk on to the football team. But before the 2005 fall camp started, a football scholarship opened up, and the coaches offered it to Arnett.
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His freshman year, Arnett played football and baseball. He played in nine football games, starting one and spending most of his time on special teams. As a catcher on the baseball team, Arnett started 21 games and hit .329 for the season. Despite success in both programs, Arnett said he made himself choose between the two.
"The amount of work you have to put into any college sport is a year-round duty," he said. "If you really want to be the best you can be, you work all year long. I would have been doing a disservice to both the football and baseball programs if I continued to split time."
Arnett chose football.
"It was a simple decision," he said. "I love football, and I only liked baseball. I needed to focus on what I loved for the last three years of my career."
Undersized for a linebacker, Arnett said he knew he'd have to put in extra work to be successful, but he never viewed it as a handicap.
"I couldn't get caught up worrying about it," he said. "I can sit around and wish all I want that I was bigger, but it doesn't change reality. This is the size I have, and it's what I have to work with. Instead of wasting time and making excuses, the only thing I could do is get the most out of the size I have."
He did.
Arnett posted 36 tackles his sophomore year and 64 in his junior season. Even more impressive were his numbers in the weight room. Arnett squatted 515, power-cleaned 328, benched 330 and maxed-out at 300 pounds at incline.
"My size is a motivating factor," Arnett said. "I know I have to put in the extra work in the weight room to prepare myself. I understand that I'm 5-foot-10, 205 pounds lining up across from linemen who are 6-foot-5, 320 pounds. But I enjoy playing against bigger guys. It's a fun challenge."
Teammate Danny Martin said Arnett's presence and intensity in the weight room and on the field are driving forces on the team.
"You can always hear Zach yelling and getting people fired up," Martin said.
This summer, Arnett was elected one of two defensive captains by his teammates. Arnett said being a middle linebacker automatically put him into a leadership role, but it was still an honor to be recognized by his team.
"Anytime your teammates elect you, not just coaches, you're definitely honored because you respect and play as hard as you can for all the other guys on the field knowing they're doing the same thing for you," Arnett said. "It was a huge honor."
Head coach Rocky Long said Arnett's teammates elected him because they respect him as a player who works hard to be as good as he can be.
"He has good athletic ability," Long said. "But mostly, he has a natural instinct that allows him to diagnose plays effectively and get to the ball without running into the big guys. He has a great heart, and he loves the game."
Arnett's hard work carries into the classroom, as well. The fourth-year history major has posted a 3.9 cumulative GPA, one of the highest on the football team and in all of Lobo athletics.
Though Arnett is unsure of future academic or career plans, he's accepted that this is his last year playing football.
"This will be the last 12 to 13 games of my career," he said. "Obviously, there is not a large demand for my size of linebacker at the next level. I understand that and I've had a fun time. Now it's time to make it all worthwhile."
