Zach Frank's happy to be back for a 5th season with SJU

COLLEGEVILLE — Coming back for another year of college football was an easy decision for Zach Frank.

The St. John's senior defensive lineman had already made up his mind well before the Johnnies' 2024 season ended with a 41-38 loss to Susquehanna (Pennsylvania) in the third round of the Division III playoffs. With a fifth season of eligibility available to him, the 6-foot-3, 270-pound Frank wasn't going to turn it down.

"I just love football. This sport has been great to me. I was injured during my sophomore year and I have the rest of my life to get a job and work. I won't get another opportunity like this and I want to make the most of it," Frank said.

Frank led the Johnnies in sacks last season with nine, was second on the team in tackles for a loss (11.5) and finished with 33 tackles, two forced fumbles and six hurries. At 22 years old, he still feels there is room for improvement. But even more important to Frank is being a leader his teammates can look up to.

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"That's huge for me. We have a tight group along the defensive line. Tommy (Gilmore), Landon (Gallagher) and I are going to be living together this summer and next fall. This might be the tightest group we've had along the defensive line," Frank said. "Tommy and Landon are fifth-year guys like myself. We're helping build a lot of chemistry with our position group."

Gallagher had 28 tackles and four sacks last season and Gilmore had 11 tackles in a backup role. Gilmore, who turned 22 on April 11, knew he was coming back for an extra year of eligibility as soon as Gallagher and Frank had.

"These guys are my best friends. We only have one more shot to do this, so of course I'm going to take that chance," Gilmore said. "This might be the best defensive line since I've been here. We made a little run (in the playoffs) last year, but I think we can do even better."

St. John's head coach Gary Fasching has high expectations for his defensive line going into next season, especially for Frank.

"Anytime you have fifth-year guys, you expect a lot out of them," Fasching said. "Having Zach, Tommy and Landon back makes a world of difference for us. Zach is one of the best defensive linemen in the conference. When I met with him before spring practice, I told him that he needs to be even better for us next year to be a top team again. He certainly has the talent, ability and size to do that."

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Gilmore started out as a 197-pound freshman when he came to St. John's in the fall of 2021. He's now up to 255 pounds. He's looked up to Frank since he got on campus and is impressed with how much he's improved over their five years together.

"Zach got a lot of time as a freshman, and for a good reason," Gilmore said. "Just look at the way he plays. He's always going 100 miles per hour. He leads by example and we all want to get to his level. He's a great leader. I've lived with Landon since my sophomore year. But I'm really looking forward to hanging out with Zach even more as a roommate."

Frank feels the same way about Gilmore and Gallagher. The three of them are going to purchase 1/3 of a cow from teammate Isaac Hetland's parents going into the summer. The Hetland family runs a hobby farm and sells the meat in sections to their customers.

Frank, Gilmore and Gallagher aren't sure if they have enough freezer space for the meat yet, however.

"It's going to be fun. That cow is going to help keep our protein up this summer," Frank said. "We might have to get a pretty big chest freezer though."

• The Johnnies are practicing three days a week for spring practice (Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays). SJU is allowed more practice time than usual this spring due to an international trip to Canada in mid-May.

  The Johnnies will have 16 un-padded practices and 10 padded practices in advance of an exhibition game against the Winnipeg Rifles of the Canadian Junior Football League. That game will take place at noon on Saturday, May 17, at Winnipeg's Maple Grove Rugby Park. Teams are allowed to make international trips every three years under NCAA rules. This is the first international trip for the Johnnies since 2021.

  The Johnnies will also have a spring game on May 10 at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville.

  

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• SJU running back Caden Wheeler is studying abroad this spring, along with nine other key returners like All-American wide receiver Dylan Wheeler and All-MIAC linebacker Aiden McMahon.

  Fasching said he met with Caden Wheeler before he left for the semester and feels good about how he's progressing in his recovery from a broken right fibula and dislocated right ankle that he suffered in a 34-0 win over Gustavus on Nov. 1.

  "I met with him before he took off and he told me what his rehab was going to be like overseas," Fasching said. "I just assume it's going well for him. As soon as he gets back, I'll know more. I haven't heard anything positive or negative. We're counting on him to be back. He adds so much to our backfield."

  

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• Fasching said there are 96 players at spring practice, but that number varies due to some of his players being baseball players and track and field athletes at St. John's.
  

• Division I transfer quarterbacks Trey Feeney (North Dakota) and Beau Bush (South Dakota), along with returning senior Zander Dittbenner (Mankato West High School), are battling for the starting spot to replace All-American and Gagliardi Trophy finalist Aaron Syverson.

  "All three of those guys have looked good in the spring here," Fasching said. "I know (offensive coordinator) Kole (Heckendorf) feels the same way. But, until we have pads on, we don't really know anything until they face a rush. Right now, it's just 7-on-7 drills. They should be completing those passes. The jury is still out. You can see the potential is there. Hopefully at the end of spring ball we'll know who the top guys are going to be."

  

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  Fasching knows it won't be easy to replace Syverson. However, whomever the starter is going to be, they'll have plenty of weapons to use around them like both Wheelers, tight end Joey Gendreau, wide receiver Riley Schwellenbach and running backs Corey Bohmert and Will Blakey.

  "We have the guys who can get open and catch the ball. We're going to look different, no matter who the quarterback is. They're not Aaron Syverson. He was a special talent. I've always believed you have to gear your offense to the talent that you have. We have five or six guys who have played a lot of football for us. With those weapons, our starting quarterback should be in a good position to succeed."

  

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• Fasching said the Johnnies have received "about 40 verbal commitments" from high school seniors this offseason. He expects that number to rise above 50 before the summer is out.

  Some of the St. Cloud LIVE area recruits include Sauk Rapids-Rice linebacker Bradyn Kost, ROCORI offensive lineman Laklen Vogel and ROCORI linebacker Aaron Baisley.

  "Baisley is a big, physical kid who we think could help us right away. We think he'll fit in nicely to our defense," Fasching said. "I was impressed with him the past two years. He had a great wrestling season to top it off. I'm looking forward to seeing him here."

  

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• Other notable transfers for SJU include Wake Forest defensive back Mark Rogalski, Southwest Minnesota State defensive lineman Melvin Wallace and Concordia-St. Paul running back Logan Eisele. Eisele is a Becker native who spent the past two years at CSP (one as a redshirt). Rogalski, a St. Thomas Academy grad, spent two seasons at Wake Forest (one as a redshirt). Wallace redshirted last year as a freshman at SMSU.
  
• The Johnnies still don't have a nonconference opponent scheduled for their first game of the 2025 season.
  

• When asked about it, Fasching seemed annoyed that it has taken this long for the Johnnies to find someone to play. SJU will play nine conference games this coming season.

  "We're hoping to announce that soon, maybe within the next week," Fasching said. "We usually like to get that done by late February or early March. You can probably read into how I'm feeling about that at the moment."

  

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