National Football League

Zach Zenner diary: South Dakota State is home, sweet home

Published Mar. 3, 2015 9:50 a.m. ET

foxsports

Zach Zenner played running back at South Dakota State, where he became the first FCS back to ever rush for 2,000 yards in three different seasons and finished just 12 yards shy of setting the FCS' all-time rushing record. Projected to be a late-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Zenner will take you through the process of training for the NFL Combine, his pro day, the anticipation for draft day and more. Check out his first and second entries, and follow Zenner on Twitter @Zenner31.

As the saying goes, there's no place like home, and over the last week, I've been able to take a deep breath and realize just how true that is.

After spending the better part of the last three months on the road -- in Dallas or New Orleans or St. Petersburg or Philadelphia or New York or Indianapolis or even at my parents' back in Minnesota -- I finally returned last Monday to Brookings, S.D., where I spent the last five years of my life at South Dakota State. And to be honest, it felt like I never left, but was also surreal, all at the same time.

Sure, it was nice to travel the country and sleep in hotel beds for eight or 10 weeks, but there's no beating the comfort of your own bed in your own room, so it was a welcome feeling to return to my old house with my old roommates and live my old life (or something close to it) for a few days after the Combine.

Last week, I made sure to make the rounds and talk with Coach (John) Stiegelmeier and some of my other old mentors, and I've been working out at the same facility I spent so many hours in during my college days. I've had time to see former teammates and friends, and while I was already recognizable here, just by virtue of being the running back on a great football team, I'm finding that people around Brookings are more interested in talking to me than ever now that I'm looking the NFL Draft in the eye.

I've had a few strangers come up to me and want to talk, but a lot of my interactions around town have been with people I already knew. I'll see someone from church, for example, and when normally those people would just say hello in passing and go on about their business, now they're coming up and talking to me about the experience. It'll be, 'Hey, I saw you're doing great, and we're rooting for you' -- that sort of stuff -- and where I used to just say, 'Hey, how's it going?' we're now having conversations about what they saw and how I'm feeling, or whatever it may be.

Zach Zenner and his buddies have some fun.

Of course, it hasn't been all about having fun and catching up with people back at my old stomping grounds. I've still been working out as hard as ever in preparation for rookie minicamps and the NFL season, following a combination of workouts from trainers at Michael Johnson Performance -- where I trained for the Combine -- and a program put together by a strength coach at SDSU. I've been feeling a little less pressure in the gym, but my workouts and effort have been just as intense as ever and will continue to be as I prepare for my Pro Day on March 25.

But at the end of the day, I get to settle in on my old couch and make dinner in my old kitchen and relax with my old friends, and I can't overstate just how enjoyable that's been.

I've already paid my rent through May and, barring any trips to visit teams for one-on-one workouts at their facilities, I'll be here until then, and my roommates and I aren't taking it for granted. None of us have super-important jobs yet, and there's no family in town to pull us in one direction or another. We know it won't be like that ever again, so in addition to getting physically ready for wherever my NFL journey takes me, I'm making as much time as I can to enjoy these last few moments with the guys.

Chapter 1: Getting a Combine invite and getting engaged

Chapter 2: Trying to score points at the Combine