Where R They Now: Jeremy Zuttah
10/8/2020
Piscataway, N.J. - A third round draft pick in 2008, Jeremy Zuttah would go on to play nine seasons in the National Football League with three franchises, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2016. The two-time First Team All-Big East selection was a four-year starter for the Scarlet Knights.
Zuttah made 40 career starts, including 28 straight starts to close out his career. At right tackle for RU, Zuttah was part of an offensive line that allowed just eight sacks in 2006 (fewest in NCAA) and yielded just 10 sacks in 2007 (second-fewest in NCAA). He did not allow a sack over his final two seasons with the Scarlet Knights.
The 83rd overall selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Zuttah also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.
ScarletKnights.com caught up with Zuttah to discuss life after football, his greatest memories at Rutgers and some of the lessons he learned playing for coach Schiano in college and in the NFL.
Scarlet Knights.com: What are you doing these days?
Jeremy Zuttah: I just started an MBA at NYU Stern [School of Business]. I wanted to learn more about the financial world and finance in particular. It’s been obviously chaotic in light of everything going on in the world with the virus and all that, so it's an extremely new environment. Trying to learn, completely online, and trying to interact with teachers and classmates in a setting where you can't really meet anybody. But the hope through the whole thing is to learn about finance, sustainability and how to tie those into social impact. My overall goal would be making a bigger impact on the community and the world around me.
SK.com: What advice would you give to student-athletes who are going through a similar experience with distance learning and the challenges?
JZ: The advice I would have is that the experience you get from going through this whole situation is going to be a valuable. It's really not just something that you have to deal with, but it's going to be part of the value you get from the education. You are learning how to deal with stress and coping in a stressful environment, learning how to manage and adapt. I think it’s going to carry with you into whatever you do, adapting on the field, adapting after football. It's going be a really valuable experience.
SK.com: What lessons that you learned play football at Rutgers still guide you today?
JZ: The biggest thing is that nothing is really separate. The things that you do, it all ties into everything else. There's no compartmentalizing your life. If you slack here, it’s going to take away from the effort you give in other things. Your work ethic and your consistency shows through everything that you do.
SK.com: What do you remember most about your time at Rutgers?
JZ: Just the people I was around. I think we had an amazing core of players, coaches, even however long ago it is now, you can still see the McCourtys and some other guys having an impact on the league. Guys like Tiquan [Underwood] and Jamaal [Westerman] came back and are coaching. I think we were extremely privileged to be around a tremendous group of people, and we all got better from being around each other.
My time at Rutgers taught me how to work. Not just in terms of working hard to the point of exhaustion every chance you get, but also having clear expectations for yourself and trying to be the best you can in everything that you do.
SK.com: What was your greatest moment at Rutgers?
JZ: It's probably hard to beat the Louisville game in 2006 as far as tying everybody on the program and people rallying behind the program and everybody wanted to be a part of something big. That was probably the highest point.
SK.com: What coach Schiano saying do you remember the most?
JZ: There are a lot. We have a group chat going and no matter what situation comes up, we can always pull out one of them. The one that comes up all the time is, “It catches up to you when it catches up to you.” Something might not seem like it’s a problem until it is.
SK.com What is something about him that makes the relationship that you guys have with him special?
JZ: People talk about how tough he is and how he instills discipline, but that only works if you trust the person that’s behind that. A lot of guys know that they can go to him and talk to him about whatever comes up. He always talked about trust, belief and accountability, and that’s the reason he can be so tough on you. It’s because you know that he wants so much more for you than either what you're giving at a time or what you’re showing. He wants you to live out your full potential.
SK.com: What do you think of when you hear the words F.A.M.I.L.Y and Chop?
JZ: Obviously, I think back to the time I was at Rutgers and those were the core sayings but not just sayings, they were words we tried to live by. Sometimes you're not just doing the things that are in your best intention or best for you at the time, but you're doing the things that are best for the team. And ultimately, sometimes they end up being the same thing. Back when I was at Rutgers, I had to change position every other week and then I had to switch again at the end. At the time, I didn’t really think that was in my best interest but, it actually ended up being in the NFL. A lot of the things they talk about, versatility and my ability to play whatever, and switch around and all those kind of things. So at the time when, when coach was telling me, “Oh you got to go over here and play,” I didn’t think that was what I wanted to do. But I trusted him and what he was saying, and it ended up working out for the team and for me in the long run.
SK.com: How would you describe the teammates you played with?
JZ: We were all underrated. That’s the word that comes to mind. I think we were definitely a group of overachievers. When people looked at us coming out of high school, somehow we didn't measure up to what their expectations of a successful player would look like, but so many of us outperformed those expectations.
SK.com: What were your first thoughts when you heard coach Schiano was coming back?
JZ: I was excited. I’m most excited to see where the program is going to go. Things take time to build, but I know it’s going to be headed in the right direction under coach Schiano.
SK.com: What was it like to have play for your college coach in the NFL?
JZ: We worked extremely hard. It didn’t go the direction that we wanted it to for a number of reasons beyond our control, but I think those two years were pretty valuable to the player that I became the next three years in Baltimore. When I talked to coach [John] Harbaugh when I was traded to the Ravens, he said one of the reasons we’re was bringing you here was because you played for coach Schiano and we know you know how to work.
SK.com: How do you think your time at Rutgers prepared you for the NFL career you would go on to have?
JZ: My time at Rutgers taught me how to work. Not just in terms of working hard to the point of exhaustion every chance you get, but also having clear expectations for yourself and trying to be the best you can in everything that you do. It is something I still try to carry with me. I just had a daughter and it’s something I’m going to instill in her. The way you work is extremely important.
