LINCOLN — They never doubted his talent.

No, that was not the concern with Zac Lee.

“With him,” Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said, “It's always been about him learning to manage the game of football.”

Less than two weeks before Lee's anticipated debut as the starting NU quarterback, the Huskers and their coaches are discovering about the 22-year-old Californian what those who know him best understand well — that Lee was born for this kind of role.

This is not a prediction of stardom for the junior from San Francisco. Most everyone seems to expect, Lee included, that he'll have his moments — good and bad — over the next three months. What's striking about Lee, though, is the ease with which he accepts this position.

Leadership comes naturally. Composure on a big stage in harrowing moments is a trait passed on to him by his father, a former 12-year NFL quarterback.

They called him “General” Bob Lee.

Zac Lee is something more of a captain or a major, but he's about to get the chance to earn a few more stripes.

“As a quarterback, you live for those situations when it's a little more tight than usual,” Zac Lee said. “That's what makes you a quarterback. I just want the ball in my hands in the last minute with the game on the line.

“It's fun.”

He's not kidding.

Dan Hays, the longtime offensive coordinator at the City College of San Francisco, remembers Lee more for his poise than the 35 touchdowns and 3,400 yards for which he threw at the junior college in 2006.

“I would be talking to Zac in the middle of a big, close game,” Hays said. “This is a tight situation, and I'm in the press box. I can't see his face, but it's like you and I on the phone. He is so under control. He's not animated. He's not talking fast. He doesn't raise his voice. It's completely matter of fact.”

Lee's confidence inspired confidence in the coach. Hays said he felt no fear of calling an otherwise risky play on the 1-yard line.

“That's what impresses me most,” Hays said. “Everybody can be great in practice and scrimmages, but games are different. You measure a guy by how he handles himself in a game.

“As a quarterback, you're born with that or you're not. It's God-given. It's who you are. There are no drills for that kind of poise, and certainly Zac has got it.”

Big sister a big name

In the case of Zac Lee, there's not much of any question about the source of that poise.

Bob Lee played from 1969 to 1980 for the Vikings, Falcons and Rams. He threw for 1,786 yards for Atlanta in 1973 and also punted for two seasons while playing in Super Bowls IV and XI.

Zac was born 6½ years after his father's professional career ended. The younger Lee favored baseball early, growing into a star center fielder at San Francisco's St. Ignatius Prep.

He didn't try organized football until ninth grade.

Zac Lee said his father never pushed him toward the game. Even as Zac developed into a three-time all-league quarterback, Bob remained reluctant to step back into the spotlight. He did not respond last week to an interview request for this story.

Still, Zac was exposed to the game. Bob took him occasionally to watch at 49ers practice and at the University of Pacific, where Bob served as athletic director from 1991 to 1995.

Indirectly, it played a role in Zac's maturity as a quarterback.

“I didn't grow up around it the way people might think,” the younger Lee said, “but I definitely got to see football more up close than most people at an early age. He exposed me to a lot of variety, and I think that helped me learn to deal with people. That's a really big thing when you're a quarterback. You need to deal with people.”

Lee, as a kid, rubbed elbows with a few of his father's old teammates, including star Minnesota defensive end Jim Marshall.

“I learned that football should never be an end-all, be-all thing,” Lee said. “There can be tension in a game, but I enjoy it.”

His cool-under-fire approach runs deep in the family. Zac's 29-year-old sister, Jenna Lee, works as an anchor for Fox Business News. A former softball player at UC Santa Barbara, she co-hosts a live, two-hour morning show and serves a variety of other on-camera roles for the network.

Jenna lives in New York and was pictured this year on a billboard in Times Square.

“We have some shared experiences in traits as far as how to deal with being out there in the public eye,” Zac Lee said. “I think it's just how we were brought up.”

‘Can-do kid'

Lee was lightly recruited out of high school. He said he never showcased himself to college recruiters but figured his play would speak for itself.

All it got him was an opportunity at the City College of San Francisco. Bob Lee played at CCSF alongside O.J. Simpson between stops for the quarterback at Arizona State and Pacific. Zac figured if it worked for his dad, the junior college route could get him to a big school.

After enrolling part time in the fall of 2005 to delay the start of his five-year clock, Lee picked the Huskers in September 2006 at the urging of former NU assistant Dennis Wagner. Oklahoma called late in the recruiting process, but Lee — rated that fall as the nation's No. 1 juco QB — stuck with Nebraska.

Then for two years, Lee sat behind quarterbacks Sam Keller, Joe Ganz and Patrick Witt. When Witt announced his decision in February to transfer, the job went, by default, to Lee.

It wasn't the competition for which Watson had hoped.

Barring a collapse or injury, Lee, who attempted two passes last year, is set to win the starting spot. Nebraska hasn't made any announcement about the quarterbacks, but his status is the worst-kept secret of preseason camp.

So Watson figured he had to place artificial pressure on Lee. The coach upped the intensity in practice. He added more pressure situations.

And guess what? Lee thrived.

“What he's had is great perseverance in fighting his way through some of the battles,” Watson said. “Probably what I'm most proud of is that he's been eager and willing to learn. I've been on him, and Zac has wanted to be coached hard. That's a big thing.”

Veteran Nebraska tight ends coach Ron Brown describes Lee as a “can-do kid.”

“I've seen him respond very well after something bad happens,” Brown said.

Brown compares Lee to Gerry Gdowski and Keithen McCant, former Nebraska quarterbacks who fared well when finally they earned their turn to lead at the same age as Lee.

For his part, Lee said he's “never been one to really think about the situation.”

He's thought some about Sept. 5, though, when Florida Atlantic visits Memorial Stadium.

“This is something I've wanted for a real long time now,” Lee said. “But, you know, I feel really prepared. Of course, there's such anxiousness, but I'm ready to go.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9587, mitch.sherman@owh.com

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