How Loveland star Zayne DeSouza morphed from an out-of-shape, unmotivated lineman into a CU tight end commit

Four years ago, Zayne DeSouza was an out-of-shape, unmotivated 14-year-old whose primary obsession was video games.

But after his oldest brother lit into him, DeSouza began his journey to becoming a rare in-state high school recruit by CU football head coach Deion Sanders.

“He came home one day from practice just before his first game as a freshman, and he’s usually a quiet guy, but he got pretty mad because the coach wouldn’t move him from the line,” recalled Weston DeSouza, Zayne’s brother, who is 10 years his senior. “He threw his stuff on the ground, he was blaming other people. And I was like, ‘Dude, this is all on you.’

“And then I got pretty pissed off at him. We went back and forth and I just told him, ‘Well what is (the coach) going to do with you? You’re 315 pounds, you’re slow, you have horrible footwork, you haven’t developed your hand-eye coordination, you don’t understand football.’ In that one day, something clicked for him.”

On Wednesday, that revelation will be a distant memory for DeSouza, who’s set to officially join CU as part of the Buffs’ early National Signing Day class. He will be just the second Colorado product to sign with the Buffs on scholarship straight out of high school during Sanders’ tenure. The first was Cherry Creek center Hank Zilinskas back in December 2022.

DeSouza’s transformation into a 6-foot-6, 250-pound Division I pledge started with what the Loveland senior called “four months of hell” at the start of his sophomore year. DeSouza had just moved from Missouri, when he spent his freshman season at Raymore-Peculiar High School, back to his native Colorado because of his dad’s job.

While DeSouza started to change his habits in his freshman year, he says it was in that first fall at Loveland that he went all-in. He began a strict diet that featured yogurt for breakfast, chicken and rice every day, and no snacking. He stopped staying up until 2 a.m. playing video games and started prioritizing sleep and recovery. He made weightlifting, running and agility training a staple.

“Looking back now, I would definitely tell my younger self, ‘Get your fat (butt) off the video games,” said DeSouza, who also plays power forward for Loveland’s basketball team. “That’s why I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. If you told me then that I’d be going to CU with my coach being Deion Sanders, I’d say you’re lying.

“… My peers and a lot of coaches doubted me that I could be a tight end. Everyone projected me as an offensive lineman. But these past few years have been all about proving people wrong.”

DeSouza played nose guard in middle school and his coaches at Raymore-Peculiar wanted him to add even more weight to be an offensive tackle. But DeSouza’s heart was set on tight end.

When he got to Loveland, Red Wolves coach Allan Jeffries gave DeSouza a shot at the position. He quickly budded into a star while also seeing time at defensive end. This fall, DeSouza was Loveland’s top pass-catcher with 51 catches for 446 yards and six TDs.

“He passes the eye test with his build, obviously,” Jeffries said. “You see him and you hope he plays as well as he looks, and fortunately for us, he did. He’s very elegant and light on his feet, especially for a big guy, and he’s got some really soft hands as a big target. And for us, he was kind of a quiet assassin. He’s not a rah-rah guy who’s going to get up in people’s faces, but he’s coachable as can be.”

Zayne credits Weston as well as his two other older brothers for showing him the tough love he needed to get motivated and realize his potential.

Zayne’s growth did not go unrecognized by Sanders over the summer, when DeSouza attended a one-day camp at CU on June 6. He almost didn’t go, because he had just gotten home from another camp out of state and wanted to relax. But at the last minute, he changed his mind — and his future.

DeSouza dominated at the camp, he says, “by catching every ball and winning every rep.” After he caught a touchdown toward the end of the day, Sanders pulled him aside.

“Coach Prime came and ran up to me and grabbed me and was like, ‘Come here, big man. I’m going to give you a full ride,'” DeSouza said. “I was kind of in shock. I didn’t know what to say. So many emotions were flowing.”

DeSouza had offers from Washington State and Northern Colorado at that point, but as soon as he got the chance in Boulder — where his dad, Dan, was a walk-on linebacker in the late 1980s — he was sold on the black and gold.

DeSouza still loves playing Fortnite, Madden and NBA 2K as a way to unwind. But he’s intensely focused on the opportunity ahead, and the chance to contribute to Coach Prime’s Buffs.

“I know I won’t quit once I get there if I face adversity or (competition at the position),” DeSouza said. “I’ve gone through too much to get to this point.”

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