I don't want to get trapped in the friend zone.

[Camfer]

That's awesome you met someone you like. In order to totally respect him, you have to really take it as completely true that he's not ready to start a relationship. Maybe later, like this summer perhaps, he will have moved on from his ex and be able to think about dating. Check back in with him in July? You want him to be present and emotionally available. That is his call to make.

You're not thinking of this, but it bears stating anyway:
The reason you don't want to push someone into a relationship who isn't ready is that if you end up with that person, you're in a relationship with someone who's not ready to be in it. Obvious, but never underestimate the power of infatuation, or desire, or eros, or however you want to call it., to blind you to the truth. This causes more than your normal share of issues. Take people at their word on this one.