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Get Scouted Scouting CareersZordan Holman can’t imagine would life would have been like today if his family had not left their native land shortly before the turn of the century.
Instead, the former National Scouting Report prospect is having the time of his life as a freshman tight end on the UConn football team.
Zordan was still a toddler when his family, with the aid of Catholic charity workers, left war-torn Croatia for New York City in 1999. With no money and a giant language barrier facing them, the family settled in Portland, Maine, where Zordan became a Mixed Martial Arts world champion and football star at Cheverus High School.
He counts his blessings every day.
“I could be over there [in Croatia] right now fighting for my life, or I could be going to school from 8-2,” Zordan told the New Haven (Conn.) Register. “It’s an easy choice if you ask me. I’ve been blessed with an opportunity that a lot of kids don’t have, and I am looking forward to taking advantage of it.”
Zordan’s father, Mladen, fought for his life every day. A former general in the Croatian military, he was captured and held as a prisoner of war for a year. Mladen wanted a better life and brighter future for his wife, two daughters and son.
“Could you imagine you are 30-35 years old, you don’t know the language, you are going to take three small kids over, you don’t have a dollar to your name?” Zordan told the Register. “We talk about just doing the right thing, mental toughness, what the best thing about being a man is, and that sums it up to me right there.”
Mladen, a champion MMA competitor, introduced Zordan to karate. A few years later, Zordan made the transition to MMA and won the heavyweight division in the 16-17 age group at the 2013 North American Grappling Association World Championships.
Zordan also became a standout on the football field. A 6-foot-6, 250-pound defensive end/tight end, he was selected the 2014 Frank J. Gaziano Defensive Lineman of the Year at Cheverus High School.
Brendan Kennedy, NSR’s Area Director of Scouting in Maine, discovered Zordan at a high school football game in 2013. Zordan was recommended by Lee Nelson, father of former NSR football prospect Noah, whose family sponsored the Holmans after they arrived from Croatia.
“Zordan’s mom told me his high school coach was planning to meet with him after his senior season,” Kennedy said. “I told his mom it would be difficult to receive an offer to a [NCAA] D-I school if they waited.”
The family took Kennedy’s advice and enrolled with NSR, which is expanding its international scouting throughout Europe.
“That day I sent Zordan’s stuff to recruiting coordinators and tight end coaches,” Kennedy recalled. “The Louisville recruiting coordinator called me right away. UConn coach Mike Cummings sent Zordan an email asking him to call me. I started the communication back and forth.”
Zordan also was recruited by Boston College, Maine and Wagner. But UConn was relentless. Coaches texted him after every game and filled his mailbox with personal letters.
“When I went to Zordan’s home, there must have been 60 personalized postcards and letters from UConn,” Kennedy said. “He said, ‘That’s just a small portion. The two bins over there are filled with more.’”
Zordan visited UConn during his junior year. A few days later, new head coach Bob Diaco called to offer him a full scholarship.
Kennedy was attending his daughter’s lacrosse game when Zordan called him personally to break the news.
“I was so excited,” Kennedy said. “If anybody deserved a scholarship, it was Zordan.”
It was a dream come true.
“I always had the dream of playing Division I football and maybe one day in the NFL since I was a little kid,” Zordan told the Register. “A kid from Maine getting a Division I scholarship doesn’t happen often.
“It was a pretty great feeling knowing all the hard work, all the time I spent in the classroom and the weight room paid off. There are no absolutes in life, but one thing that I became aware of is that if you work hard, it will pay off.”
National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.