RUSTON – Wake up no later than 7 a.m.  Eat a hearty breakfast.  Go to first class.  Maybe sneak in a bowl of oatmeal before setting off for another class.  Grab lunch.  Go to workouts.  Attend meetings.  Off to practice for two-to-three hours.  Eat again.  Study for the rest of the night. 
 
Such is the typical day for Louisiana Tech student-athlete Alex Zayed.
 
Those workouts and practices are for football.  And those classes are for chemical engineering.
 
Both the athletics and academics have always been huge passions for Alex.
 
"Growing up, football was always my passion," said the now 21-year old junior.  "I've been playing organized football since I was six years old.  I haven't stopped."
 
"And I always loved math.  Favorite subject.  I knew I wanted to do something with math.  I also like chemistry, and I was really good at it.  It was my best science.  Math and chemistry, why not."
 
Put the two together and Louisiana Tech was the right fit.
 
"[LA Tech] started recruiting me my junior year of high school," said Alex who lettered four years at Destrehan High School, helping the Wildcats to a state 5A runner-up finish in 2014.  "That was really the school I was aiming for.  I thought it would be a great fit. 
 
"The big thing was engineering.  And Tech was probably the best engineering school in the state.  And I had always kept up with them in football.  It was an attractive program."
 
Having grown up in the New Orleans area, the path to becoming a Bulldog was great said Alex.  He described his childhood as having great memories with his loving family that includes his older brother Omar (23), and three younger siblings Heidi (17), Aayah (11) and Adam (8).   
 
He also admitted that it wasn't always the easiest either; e.g. Hurricane Katrina. 
 
"Katrina was a big setback for our family," said Alex who was eight years old at the time the deadly Category 5 hurricane made landfall on Aug. 23, 2005.  "At the time, me and my family were living in a small apartment.  We evacuated to many places like Georgia and North Carolina.
 
"When we came back, I remember seeing the big tree in front of the complex cut in half.  It was a bad sight.  As a kid, you didn't really realize it as much.  My family lost a lot that they had worked for.  We moved to Baton Rouge for that following school year until it was clear to come back."
 
Now the linebacker/special team's player who has seen action in every game over the past two seasons has formed another family at LA Tech, one that he was not expecting to.
 
"I came in and my mentality was I did not care for anyone; I was just here to compete," said Alex.  "That ruthless mentality.  You get here though, and you grow close with everyone.  You develop bonds.  That plays a big part in enjoying the game."
 
That brotherhood is one of the two main reasons Alex, a walk-on tackling not only opponents but the heavy demands of chemical engineering, is still playing football.  The other reason is his pure passion for the sport.
 
"Coming here, I knew it was going to be tough," stated Alex.  "I couldn't imagine myself giving up football.  Coach (Bob) Diaco was talking about it the other day.  If you are a tennis player or a golfer or a basketball player, you can always go and play those sports.  Once you are done playing football, it is over with.  No one is going to get some shoulder pads and helmets and run into each other. 
 
"I have been having that type of mindset.  That is why I still play."   
 
Alex is nearing the end of his college career with two more years of eligibility remaining.  He's also nearing the end of his bachelor's degree, currently on pace to graduate in May of 2020.
 
"I've taken the bulk of my chemical engineering classes," said the two-time C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient and 2017 C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medalist.  "At the moment, I am studying heat transfer and circuits.  All I really have left are my senior design classes. 
 
"I definitely plan on working for a chemical plant, preferably a refinery.  In the Destrehan area, there are about six or seven different types of plants.  Going from there, become a process engineer and see where I really fit with my interests.  Maybe one day get my MBA and get on the business side of things."
 
When choosing to come to Louisiana Tech, Alex set out to get a high-quality education and compete athletically on a big stage.  He acknowledged it was one of his best decisions.
 
"The main reason I came here was because of academics," he said. "It hasn't disappointed.  I've reaped the benefits of it and have learned more than I possibly thought I could learn.  And athletics has been great too.  Going to Hawai'i was an experience I'll never forget."