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Zach Osborne bolted across the field, hugging the sideline during Colgate’s game against Georgetown on Oct. 19, 2024. The Raiders quarterback accelerated past the 20-yard line with the endzone in mind. When he reached the five, he caught a glimpse of the pylon.

Osborne dove for it. In the air, he did a half-body barrel roll before his left shoulder drilled into the turf.

No signal. He had stepped out of bounds at the two-yard line before he jumped. Osborne got up and began walking back for the next snap — but he didn’t end up running that play. He didn’t run a play for the rest of Colgate’s season.

“My left arm kind of went dead,” Osborne said. “It felt like something was off, and that’s when I immediately grabbed my shoulder.”

Osborne had broken his left collarbone. The fracture was his second injury within the calendar year, previously breaking two bones in his wrist in 2023.

Since his injury in October 2024, Osborne furthered his commitments, both on and off the field. The Raiders, led by Osborne, face the Orange on Friday.

By January, he was lifting with the team again. In February, he traveled to Philadelphia for the Uplifting Athletes’ Leadership Development Conference to help plan a Lift for Life — a fundraiser for rare disease research — at Colgate. And in March, he prepared for spring football by studying new head coach Curt Fitzpatrick’s playbook.

By Colgate’s opener against Monmouth in August, Osborne was lining up for the snap as not only the Raiders’ new starting quarterback, but also as one of four captains. Through two games in 2025, he has completed 59% of his passes for a total of 466 yards, while also leading the Raiders with 80 rushing yards.

Colgate quarterback Zach Osborne drops into the pocket during the Raiders’ Aug. 29 game against Monmouth. Osborne completed 11 passes while throwing two touchdowns in the Raiders’ 42-39 loss. Courtesy of Colgate Athletics

“It was one of those things where I was like, ‘Oh, here we go again,’” Osborne said of his injury. “I knew that if I could get through a broken wrist, breaking my collarbone was something I could come back from.”

With Osborne’s football career often demanding periods of intense effort, he finds solace through religion. He grew up in a Lutheran family, and though he’s dove deeper and rediscovered his faith for himself, Christianity has remained a constant.

“It’s my entire life to say the least,” Osborne said. “In terms of the way I’ve shaped my mind to think and the ways I’ve devoted my life to my faith, it’s a lot more important than football. It’s a lot more important than anything in this world.”

Osborne was involved with his high school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes Huddle, and he searched for a similar student organization as soon as he got to Colgate in 2022.

He ended up joining Colgate Christian Athletes, a student-run organization that provides a religious community for varsity, club and intramural athletes. Osborne has now been CCA’s president for two years.

Zach Osborne (back row, fifth from right) poses alongside teammates and classmates during a Colgate Christian Athletes meeting. Osborne’s been the organization’s president for two years after joining in 2022. Courtesy of Corey MacPherson

“It’s not uncommon for seniors to begin checking out of clubs and organizations,” CCA adviser Corey MacPherson said. “But he’s done just the opposite; his dedication is even deeper. He’s just as locked in as ever.”

Over the summer, even though CCA wasn’t meeting on campus, Osborne and several other football, basketball and hockey players made frequent trips to Utica to help serve people dealing with homelessness.

The round trip to Utica can occasionally take two hours. And with Osborne often serving for a few extra hours, time added up. But he never complained.

“It’s a long night, but he’s remained faithful in doing that. The guy just loves everyone he comes in contact with,” MacPherson said.

Back at Colgate, Osborne’s work with Uplifting Athletes came to fruition on July 22. Alongside Colgate defensive lineman Joe Kelly and Uplifting Athletes Chapter Success Manager Andrea Pierson, he helped lead and organize a Combine Day, where players both lifted weights and competed in fitness tests for Colgate’s first Lift for Life since 2022.

Osborne and Kelly started by promoting the initiative on social media informing the Colgate community about the event and encouraging donations. During their workout with approximately 100 other players, the group donned shirts that said “#WeTackleRare.”

“Individuals impacted by rare diseases don’t have that platform,” Pierson said. “They constantly have to fight for everything. To see a whole team putting their all into something bigger than themselves is just such a special environment to be around.”

The event raised around $14,000 for rare disease research, and Pierson said much of its success is because of the work Osborne put in to help spearhead the charge.

“You can just tell that he’s a quarterback; he has a presence about him,” Pierson said. “He’s extremely respectful, you can tell he cares about the people around him and that he wants to make a difference.”

To Osborne, that presence is his positivity. Through everything Osborne does, whether it’s pushing through injury, leading CCA meetings, or serving his community, he approaches it through a lens of hope and optimism — especially as a captain in the locker room.

“Regardless of what happened in the game before, I’m still going to come to the Sunday morning team meeting with a smile on my face,” Osborne said. “I’m going to be positive. I’m going to bring the energy. And that’s something I’ll never change.”

Published on September 10, 2025 at 10:17 pm