DEARBORN — As one of the most successful sports programs in the state’s history, Fordson High School has sent players from many positions to play in college.

Sayed (with football) capped off one of the best receiving careers in Fordson history this past week as he agreed to become a preferred walk-on for the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor’s football team.

But if there’s one position where the school has lagged behind, it’s at wide receiver. That’s because the Tractors have been a run-first team for most of their storied history.
All of that changed in 2007, except the winning of course, when Fouad “Walker” Zaban was named head coach, bringing with him a slew of passing plays while continuing the running tradition on offense that made the Tractors so successful.

That added emphasis on the passing game has also helped one of Zaban’s best players, senior wide receiver Baquer Sayed, achieve his own personal success as well.

Sayed capped off one of the best receiving careers in Fordson history this past week as he agreed to become a preferred walk-on for the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor’s football team, jumping from one powerhouse program to another and joining the team he grew up rooting for as a kid.

“Michigan has so much history and there’s so much pride in Ann Arbor especially around the school and the country,” Sayed said. “It’s a pleasure and an honor to play for them; I used to watch their games all the time when I was little.”

For Sayed, who looks forward to running through the tunnel in front of more than 100,000 fans at Michigan Stadium for the first time this fall, the decision to play for Michigan meant giving up a scholarship at either Ball State or Miami (Ohio), two solid programs from the Mid-American football conference.

Baquer Sayed

But the appeal of staying home and having a degree at one of the country’s best schools in his chosen field of either business, science, or law made the decision easy for Sayed, especially after he got his family’s approval.
“My mom and dad (Mouhad and Masri) were okay with it, they said it was up to me and they’re happy as long as I’m going to school,” Sayed said. “And my uncle (Abdallah Bazzi), he basically told me ‘I don’t care about anybody else, you’re going to Michigan’ because of how good a degree from there is and everything.”

While Sayed wasn’t able to get a scholarship, he has gotten positive reviews from college scouts on the popular Web site Rivals.com, as he is rated as a three-star prospect (out of five stars).

For comparison’s sake, Michigan has given scholarships to 20 other players rated three stars on the site and another in Ray Vinopal from Ohio who is rated lower than Sayed with a two-star ranking.

Many observers believe Michigan was lucky to get a quality player like Sayed while saving a scholarship, and Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriguez thinks Sayed has a chance to be a contributor according to Sayed’s coach.

“I was at a coaches’ clinic and (Rodriguez) and his staff were there, and one of the topics we talked about was Baquer where he mentioned he felt that he is good enough to play at the (Big Ten) level,” Fordson Head Coach Fouad Zaban said.

“Now having said that, his success will be directly related to how hard he is willing to work up there.”

Sayed won’t receive scholarship money, but he will have the advantage of practicing in August with the team as he prepares to launch his career.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Sayed is known for his excellent hands as a receiver and his ability to out-leap and shield off defenders for big catches down the field.

He’s currently finishing out his other illustrious athletic career with the Fordson basketball team for the next four-plus weeks, but after that, he will focus on football-specific workouts.

Sayed has the benefit of working out with his 26-year-old brother Ali, whom Dearborn residents might remember from his recent campaign run for the Dearborn City Council.

Ali Sayed also runs the popular HYPE Athletics program and played soccer, basketball, and ran track during his days at Dearborn High School.

While Ali Sayed is one of the most well-known personalities in Dearborn because of his city council run and HYPE, Baquer Sayed believes he’s finally caught up to his brother in the popularity department now, especially since he signed with Michigan.

“Everyone knows Ali and everyone likes him, wherever I go it’s like, ‘Hey, you’re Ali’s brother!'”

“I would like people to talk to me like that some day.”

Baquer Sayed said that the Michigan news has people talking around town.

“Every day someone comes up to me and says, ‘How come you didn’t tell me you’re going to Michigan?’ and how much they’re looking forward to watching me,” he said.

So, does that mean that Baquer Sayed can now claim to be even more well-known than his brother?

“I probably am now, yeah, but that’s a tough one,” he said.