PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Just over six miles south of Denver sits the town of Englewood, Colorado, where football courses through the veins of the Zilinskas family like the rushing waters of the Platte River through the Rocky Mountains.

The family legacy began with John Zilinskas, an offensive lineman at UCLA from 1987-91, where he was tasked with protecting future Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman. Roughly 30 years later, his eldest son Gus stepped on campus as a freshman who did not even play on that side of the ball at Cherry Creek High School.

But now, Rutgers center Gus Zilinskas has emerged as a mainstay on an offensive line that is continuing its upward trajectory under offensive line coach Pat Flaherty. Zilinskas started all 13 games a year ago and was voted honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media after helping the Scarlet Knights lead the Big Ten in fewest sacks allowed per game (1.08) and rank fifth in the league in rushing (168.7).

"I'm really grateful that it worked out the way it did," Zilinskas said of his path to Rutgers. "I wasn't the biggest recruit. I actually played defensive line in high school. I had never played center until Coach Schiano offered me. After talking to Coach, he convinced me to play center and I'm grateful that I did."

The journey for Zilinskas began as a young toddler in Colorado, when his dad put a football in his hands about as early as he could hold one.

"I started playing when I was one year old," Zilinskas said. "I just goofed around with dad and my brothers until I was about seven. Finally in fourth grade they let me play tackle football."

Elementary school soon turned to middle school and eventually a standout high school career at Cherry Creek, where he helped lead the Bruins to a pair of state titles, an undefeated season and a No. 1 ranking in the state of Colorado.

After his decorated high school career, Zilinskas arrived "On the Banks" with a new challenge – learning the center position. As the lone player on the offensive line that touches the ball every play, Zilinskas is tasked with leading the unit in its blocking schemes, reading the defense and making calls and adjustments at the line of scrimmage. In addition to the physical toll of going head-on with the biggest players on the field, there is a unique mental element to the position that Zilinskas has thrived in.

"As the center, I depend on my guards and tackles, but everybody depends on me to give them the call," he said. "You have to know all of your stuff, because if you don't, the play is ultimately not going to work. If you don't, it's going to cost your team an opportunity to have an efficient play, but it can also cause an injury. There's a lot of responsibility."

He was able to get a head start before arriving in Piscataway thanks to his dad, John, who had experience playing the position for the Bruins. But still, all of the backyard drills were no substitute for in-game experience.

"I started doing some drills with my dad because he was a center and he still knew a thing or two," Zilinskas said. "When I got here, (former offensive line coach) Andy Aurich did a great job with me. That was my first true year of playing center, so there was a ton to learn there."

Under veteran offensive line coach Pat Flaherty, Zilinskas has been able to harness his knowledge and experience into become a well-rounded offensive lineman.

And while Zilinskas has made a name for himself at the highest level of college football, he is not the only one in his family with something to boast about. In addition to his dad's successful career at UCLA, his younger brother, Hank, is currently the starting center at Colorado as a true sophomore. The youngest of the three Zilinskas brothers, Ned, is a senior at Cherry Creek and is set to trek to the Garden State to play at Princeton starting next season.

Similar to the way he paves the way for one of the top rushing attacks in the Big Ten, Gus has paved the way for the next generation of Zilinskas family members on the gridiron.

"We talk to each other a lot," he said of his relationship with his brothers. "It's a lot of smack talk, obviously. It's cool to be able to talk to them about different techniques and bounce ideas off each other. Just to be able to sit down with them and have somebody to relate to and be able to talk football with – it's pretty special."

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