Meet Zaid Lott, the QB who committed to UNC despite starting only 1 high school game

Zaid Lott has patiently waited his turn to get an opportunity to become Providence Day’s starting quarterback, but the Charlotte native didn’t need to wait nearly as long to make his college commitment.

Despite starting just one game in two years at the local prep powerhouse while backing up two-time North Carolina Mr. Football Jadyn Davis, Lott already accumulated multiple Division I offers and impressed at local 7-on-7 tournaments entering his junior year.

As he prepares to take the reins and become Providence Day’s full-time starter, the junior quarterback who always wanted to be a Tar Heel became the first commit of North Carolina’s 2026 class last week.

And while his lack of starting experience and film might raise questions, those close to Lott aren’t surprised.

“He worked his butt off for two years and got really good at playing quarterback,” Providence Day head coach Chad Grier said. “I think he’s gonna just continue to get better. He’s got two years to get better and get lots of reps under center … I think he’s going to have a special year and a special career. He’s really going to open a lot of people’s eyes.”

With his collegiate future already decided and two years of preparation under his belt, Lott feels ready to lead Providence Day and make the most of the role he’s waited so long for this season.

Lott’s only high school start came during his freshman year in a blowout win over Charlotte Country Day, in which he completed eight of 13 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns while replacing an injured Davis. He completed 21 of 26 passes for 331 yards and added a pair of rushing touchdowns across eight appearances off the bench last season.

The Chargers went 24-2 and won back-to-back N.C. Independent Schools state championships with Davis, who is entering his freshman year at Michigan, at the helm during the last two years. Providence Day has claimed three NCISAA Division I titles in a row and Lott hopes to use what he’s learned from Davis and others to continue that legacy.

“[Lott] could have started the last two years at a lot of places, and Z just believed in the school and what he was doing here, his growth as a person and as a player and waited his turn,” Grier said.

Lott attributed his reason for staying at Providence Day to the quarterbacks Greir has previously developed. In addition to Davis, Grier has coached Sam Hartman, who was signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Commanders in April, and his son Will Grier, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in March, at the high school level.

“Whenever I came into Providence Day School I had some bad mechanics and stuff like that, but they’ve helped fix that and especially Jadyn, he played a very big role in helping me become the player that I am today,” Lott said. “Having a mentor like him, it’s been great just being able to see how he leads.”

Grier described Lott as a quiet kid who “you couldn’t get a syllable out of” when he joined the program two years ago, but the quarterback has made a conscious effort to use his voice more and speak up in order to become a leader.

“I’ve watched him every day taking more responsibility, being more vocal as a teammate and they’re responding to him,” Grier said. “He lifts weights like a lineman. I mean, he does everything everybody else does, there’s no prima donna about him at all. He’s just a grinder, does it quietly, but I think kids respect that — us coaches, we certainly do.”

Grier said he and Lott have watched all of last year’s games together during the offseason and the coach believes that with the quarterback’s experience over the last two years, Lott has a really good understanding of the offense.

“Where he’s just special is his ability to anticipate because he knows [the offense] and because his feet are right, he’s throwing just absolute rockets, what I call ‘on time,’” Grier said. “[He’s] not waiting on the receiver to be open, he’s anticipating and throwing it to them on the spot.”

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound quarterback impressed in Providence Day’s five 7-on-7 tournaments this summer. The Chargers won four in a row before falling in the final event at Chapel Hill in the quarterfinals. Lott committed to UNC during a meeting with coach Mack Brown after that tournament.

He cited his relationship with North Carolina offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chip Lindsey as a large reason for his early commitment. He also mentioned that three recent UNC quarterbacks going to the NFL in Drake Maye, Sam Howell and Mitch Trubisky stuck out.

Former teammate and incoming freshman receiver Jordan Shipp also helped convince the quarterback to commit to Chapel Hill, as did similarities between Providence Day and UNC’s offenses, Lott said.

“It’s just a mutual trust and relationship of just trust,” Lott said. “(Lindsey) also believes in me a lot, [even] with this going to be my first season as the real starter, and that really stuck out to me, especially him being one of the first schools to offer me. … I always wanted to be a Tar Heel growing up.”

Lott received his first offer from Charlotte in January 2023 and also received offers from Florida State, NC State and Boston College this year.

“(UNC has) done their homework on him. They’ve invested time to watch him grow and develop,” Grier said. “They just had him up on campus and recruited him, and they’ve seen his growth and what his ceiling really is, which is extremely high.”

Despite his collegiate future already being decided, Lott is still looking to prove himself this year as Providence Day’s starter, as are many others who have waited their turn at the talent-stacked program.

Lott is setting lofty goals for his first year as the Chargers’ starter. He hopes to lead Providence Day to a 13-0 record for the first time in school history and is looking forward to making an immediate impact on the biggest stage, starting with a season-opening game against reigning 4A champions Weddington at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 22.

“We have a whole bunch of players on the team that are still trying to prove themselves,” Lott said. “The only thing that changes for us is that we’ve been working very hard, especially now that we have a year, we don’t want to lose it.”