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2015 Football Roster

Richard Svaleson
Richard Svaleson
Richard Svaleson
John Sieber
Rick Yeatts Photography
Joel Helbling
Luke Lu
Richard Svaleson
Richard Svaleson
Tyler Ingham

82 Zach Vraa

  • Position Wide Receiver
  • Height 6-2
  • Weight 202
  • Class Senior
  • Hometown Rosemount, Minn.
  • High School Rosemount HS

Biography

* 2014 All-MVFC Honorable Mention
* 2013 All-MVFC First Team

* 2013 College Football Performance.com FCS Wide Receiver of the Week
* 2014, 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-District
* 2014, 2015 MVFC All-Academic First Team
* 2013 MVFC All-Academic Honorable Mention
* 2014, 2015 MVFC Presidents Council Academic Award

* 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award
* 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 MVFC Honor Roll
* 2016 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society

 
Record-setting wide receiver who returned for a sixth year after overcoming three broken collarbones early in his career...Part of five straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championships and NCAA Division I FCS national titles...Graduated as NDSU's career record holder in pass receptions (195), receiving yards (2,957) and touchdown catches (28)...Caught at least one pass in 54 of 58 career games including a streak of 26 straight games with a catch…Touchdown receptions in 23 of 58 career games…Ten career 100-yard receiving games…Made 43 catches for 610 yards and six TDs in 14 NCAA playoff games.

2015 SEASON (SENIOR): Returned for a sixth season due to injury...Played 15 games including 14 starts...NDSU's third leading receiver with 40 catches for 510 yards and five touchdowns...Made a team-high 33 catches for first downs or touchdowns, including 15 on third down plays...Averaged 12.8 yards per reception including a long of 66 yards on his only catch at Youngstown State...Made catches in 13 of 15 games including a season-high seven receptions at South Dakota State...MVFC Honor Roll, Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award, and Presidents Council Academic Award.

2014 SEASON (SENIOR): All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honorable mention...Started 12 of 14 games played...Suffered a hamstring injury in the NCAA second round win over South Dakota State and missed the national quarterfinal and semifinal contests...NDSU's leading receiver with 42 catches for 637 yards...Caught four TD passes...Slowed by a foot injury midway through the season...Bounced back from a zero-catch game against Southern Illinois to make a career-high nine catches with a season-high 119 yards with two touchdowns in the home win over Indiana State...Also had 119 yards on five catches at Missouri State with one TD...MVFC All-Academic first team and Capital One Academic All-District...MVFC Honor Roll, Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award, and Presidents Council Academic Award.
 
2013 SEASON (JUNIOR): All-Missouri Valley Football Conference first team...Played in all 15 games including eight starts...Ranked third in school history with 67 receptions...Finished 10th in the FCS with a school-record 1,191 yards (seventh in MVFC history)...Ranked third nationally with a school-record 15 touchdowns (second in MVFC history)...Led the MVFC in receiving yards per game (79.4)...Had seven 100-yard receiving games…College Football Performance.com FCS Wide Receiver of the Week after making five catches for a career-high 179 yards with two touchdowns in the homecoming win over Missouri State...Biggest catch of the year may have been an 11-yard TD on fourth-and-6 to pull within 23-17 in the fourth quarter of a 24-23 home win over Northern Iowa…Caught a pass in all 15 games including a season-high seven receptions for 101 yards at Youngstown State...Set NDSU playoff receiving records with 317 yards and four touchdowns in the four-game FCS championship run…MVFC All-Academic honorable mention...Named to the MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award list and MVFC Honor Roll.
 
2012 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): Started in 11 of 13 games played...Caught at least one pass in 12 games...Led the Bison with 606 receiving yards and was second with 44 receptions...Scored four touchdowns...Caught eventual game-winning TD vs. Wofford (12-8-12) in NCAA FCS quarterfinal game...Made a season-high eight receptions for 156 yards and pair of TDs vs. Prairie View A&M (9-22-12) including a season-long catch of 69 yards...Named to the MVFC Honor Roll.
 
2011 SEASON (FRESHMAN-HARDSHIP): Started in first game, catching two passes for 13 yards vs. Lafayette (9-3-11) but left with a broken collarbone...Tried to come back later in season but injured the other collarbone during practice...Named to the MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award list and MVFC Honor Roll.
 
2010 SEASON (REDSHIRT): Sat out the season as a redshirt in the Bison program...Named to the MVFC Honor Roll.
 
HIGH SCHOOL: 2010 graduate of Rosemount High School...All-state wide receiver under head coach Jeff Erdmann...Finished career with 113 receptions for 1,985 yards and 25 TDs...Led team in scoring as a junior and senior...Rosemount reached the 2008 state 5A semifinals after rolling to 11-2 record, and claimed Lake Conference and section titles...Minnesota's Mr. Football in 2009 as well as St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minnesota Vikings all-state...Honorable mention on Associated Press all-state team...Minneapolis Star Tribune all-metro...Two-time all-conference...Two-time KARE 11 all-metro...All-conference and all-metro on the basketball court as a junior...Finished with 1,070 career points, averaging 20 points per game...2010 state champion in 110 High hurdles...Three-year all-state and all-conference performer in track & field including second place in 110 high hurdles at 2009 state meet...Rosemount won the state track & field championship in 2008, and the True Team state track & field titles in 2007 and 2009...National Honor Society...2010 KARE 11 Academic All-Star...Member of select choirs.
 
PERSONAL: Had a mini-camp tryout with the Minnesota Vikings in May 2016...Earned a bachelor's degree in December 2014 from NDSU majoring in sports management with minors in business and art...Aspires to work in sports retail following his playing career... Son of Douglas and Monica Vraa...Has two sisters, Ashley and Ellie...Uncle, Steve Scheurer played football for the University of Iowa (1987-88).

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 89

    2010Freshman

    Wide Receiver
    6'2" 201 lbs
    89
  • 89

    2011Redshirt Freshman

    Wide Receiver
    6'2" 203 lbs
    89
  • 82

    2012Sophomore

    Wide Receiver
    6'2" 198 lbs
    82
  • 82

    2013Junior

    Wide Receiver
    6'2" 203 lbs
    82
  • 82

    2014Senior

    Wide Receiver
    6'2" 203 lbs
    82
  • 82

    2015Senior

    Wide Receiver
    6'2" 202 lbs
    82