Jeremy Zuttah
| refer to caption Zuttah in his Rutgers uniform | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| College: | Rutgers |
| NFL draft: | 2008 / round: 3 / pick: 83 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Jeremy Zuttah (born June 1, 1986 in Edison, New Jersey) is an American football offensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers University.
High school career
Zuttah started for three years at J. P. Stevens High School, becoming a highly-touted prospect and turning down several college football powers for Rutgers.[1] Jeremy was also an excellent student in high school, posting a 3.0 GPA and scoring 1260 out of 1600 on the SAT. Zuttah's career followed in the footsteps of his older brother Jeff, who committed to the University of Michigan in 2003, but never played a down after team doctors became concerned about his sickle-cell anemia. Jeff later transferred to Stanford University as a standout in track and field running the 100m in 14.83 seconds and shotput 29'5", tops in the state.
College career
As a true freshman in 2004, "Zeus" was a top reserve, appearing in nine games, with five starts at both tackle spots and left guard. In 2005, Zuttah started at left guard next to Pedro Sosa, forming a top combination that helped paved the way for Ray Rice during his freshman season. In 2006, Rutgers switched to a zone blocking scheme, and Zuttah subsequently moved to right tackle, in order to better utilize his athleticism in the scheme. Emerging as a vocal team leader, Zuttah earned all-Big East honors as the Rutgers offensive line only surrendered 8 sacks all season, the fewest in all of Division I-A, also ranking fifteenth in the nation in rushing.
In 2007, Zuttah was named to the preseason watch lists for the Outland Trophy[2] and the Rotary Lombardi Award [3]. He has been named a pre-season All-American by Athlon Sports. He is considered a prospect for the 2008 NFL Draft, potentially having to move inside to guard or center. Zuttah was named to the 2007 Big East All-Academic and All-Conference teams. An excellent student, Zuttah graduated Rutgers with an economics degree in 3.5 years. [4]
Professional career
Zuttah was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2008 NFL Draft.
References
- ^ "Sports Briefs", The Record (Bergen County), January 24, 2004. Accessed October 9, 2007. "Jeremy Zuttah of Edison's J.P. Stevens, rated the No. 34 best offensive guard in the country by Rivals.com, will attend Rutgers, according to his high school coach, Frank Zarro."
- ^ Four RU Football Standouts Named to Preseason Watch Lists, www.scarletknights.com
- ^ Zuttah Named to Rotary Lombardi Award Preliminary Watch List, www.scarletknights.com
- ^ http://www.northjersey.com/sports/RUs_Zuttah_keeps_head_level.html