Arizona Quarterback Commit Khalil Tate – Get Ready for Mr. Versatility

Next year there will be a new force of nature in Tucson, his name is Khalil Tate and he is extremely athletic. 

Khalil Tate gave his future fans a taste of what’s to come, and we all enjoyed it.

Khalil participated in the Rivals Camp presented by Underarmor recently, he won the Mr. Versatility award:

We thought it would be a great time to catch up with Khalil and his family to learn more about our future Wildcat.

ZZ: Congratulations on all your honors and offers, and we do think you picked the best school in the country to attend! What do you think were the main reasons you and your parents chose Arizona?

Khalil: I really love the campus academic environment, academic support, football facilities, coaching staff, the family feel and the support from the #1 student section in the nation.

ZZ: I think it is hugely important to have a great support system when going off to college, and your mother, rightly so, is devoted to making this a great experience for you and your future, how important is that in your success do you think? How about any other family members, how do they support you?

Khalil: I really appreciate having the support of my mom, dad, brother, and other family members.  My family has always been supportive.  When I was 3-4 years old, my grandmother taught me how to put my fingers on he football laces and throw the ball.  My brother is a WR so I would always practice with him at home on the front lawn, in the middle of the street and at the park. So I’ve had family support from the beginning.  The Tate family is large and a lot of fun so I’m sure my family will tailgate at the U of A games.

Next: What drives Khalil as an athlete?

ZZ: What drives you as an athlete? Do you have a mantra or something you tell yourself to keep motivated?

Arizona Wildcats

Khalil: What drives me as an athlete is my youth football experience (over 10,000 passing and 3,000 rushing yards as a QB) playing for the Inglewood Jr. All-American Football League. This football league has a big legacy, and the bar to succeed was set very high because of our famous alumni. 

A lot of our alumni currently play professional football and basketball: Marcellus Wiley – Sports Nation, Curtis Conway – ESPN/PAC-12 Network, DeSean Jackson – Washington Redskins, Orlando Scandrick – Dallas Cowboys, Paul Pierce – Washington Wizards, Trevor Ariza – Houston Rockets, Marqise Lee – Jacksonville Jaguars, and Byron Scott – LA Lakers Head Coach and the list goes on.

So my motivation comes from their work ethic and knowing about the legacy of those men and how they were successful in college and in their professions. And also what drives me is my own youth ball playing experience because of the high level of competition and expectations to succeed. I’m looking forward to having a successful football career after high school.

ZZ: Is there a certain college and/or professional football player you pattern your style of play after? What are you working on during this time prior to coming to the U of A?

Photo taken by Lelsi Tate

Khalil: I pattern my style of play after Donovan McNabb.  This season I’m working on strengthening my leadership skills prior to coming to U of A.  My style is to lead by example but I’m working on being more vocal on the sideline.

ZZ: I’ve read that you are playing or working out as both a QB and a WR, do you prefer one over the other? What do you like most about each position?

Khalil: I am a QB and have been since I was five years old.  I love playing QB and the responsibilities of leading my team.  At two camps this off-season I took some reps at WR to kill time because there were more QBs there than WRs.  I love playing football so I was just having some fun, nothing more.

Next: Khalil Tate is coming to Tucson earlier than we all thought! What's next?

ZZ: What have you been up to after your last high school football season at Serra?

Khalil:  In February I was named a Top Performer in the first Rivals Quarterback Challenge in LA. A few weeks ago I was named Mr. Versatility at the LA Rivals Camp.  And this week, I received an invitation to participate in the Rivals Quarterback Challenge Finals in Baltimore, Maryland in June. God has blessed me with the skills to play football and it’s an honor to be recognized for my efforts.

ZZ:  Do you have a message for your future fans and teammates you want us to deliver? When are you actually starting school at Arizona? We hear its early than we first were aware.

Khalil:  Live life!  I’ll be at U of A in January 2016. Bear Down!

Khalil’s mom Lesli Tate shared a video with us of her son’s highlights from 2009 from when he was nine years old playing quarterback looking like a pro already, it’s a must see!

For his high school career and more in depth information on Khalil, check out Khalil’s website.

Tate’s website is where we found out that Khalil was a basketball player as well, “As a freshman, Tate played on the Serra JV Basketball team. Tate earned a spot on Serra’s Varsity squad as a sophomore, but did not play on the team in order to focus on school, winter football training/camps, and on his 7-on-7 Adidas Team 19 All-Stars travel team tournaments.”

Next: Khalil has strong family support!

Photo taken by Lelsi Tate

We asked Khalil’s family to share with us how special their son and brother is to them:

“I’m very proud of Khalil’s work on and off of the field and really enjoy watching him develop.” — Khalil’s brother Akili Tate who just finished his Sophomore year at Hiram College in Ohio. He is also a student-athlete who plays WR. They have worked out together for years.

“He’s very humble and leads by example. A very hard worker who leaves it all on the field!” — Khalil’s father Brian Tate

“Khalil is a very happy teenager who always has a smile on his face. I am extremely proud of the young man he is becoming. Khalil’s decision to attend the University of Arizona is the perfect fit for him, and I am excited about him earning his college education at Arizona. With his sports experience and athletic skill sets I know he will have a very successful college career leading the Wildcats.” — Khalil’s mother Lesli Tate

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His mother also let us in on Khalil’s competitive nature, “It’s in Khalil’s nature to compete 100% of the time. He doesn’t worry about the next guy, he is just always ready to compete. During actual football games he runs a 4.4-4.5 40-yard dash speed. During camps it’s usually a few seconds longer which doesn’t really matter.

But we realized Khalil has put on 13 pounds of muscle since this time last year. And he still shaved off a full second in his camp tested 40-yard dash with more weight on.”

Thank you Khalil! We at ZonaZealots.com are so excited about your commitment. We feel privileged to be able to share with the world how excited and dedicated you are to the University of Arizona, we share your excitement and we look forward to the future with you!

Beardown Khalil! 

Next: Arizona Basketball Commit Ray Smith - Ready to play