Jeremy Zuttah

Jeremy Kwasi Zuttah (born June 1, 1986) is a former American football center. He played college football at Rutgers and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also played with the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.

Jeremy Zuttah
No. 76, 53
Position:Center
Personal information
Born: (1986-06-01) June 1, 1986
Edison, New Jersey
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:300 lb (136 kg)
Career information
High school:Edison (NJ) Stevens
College:Rutgers
NFL Draft:2008 / Round: 3 / Pick: 83
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2016
Games Played:131
Games Started:117
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Zuttah started for three years for the J. P. Stevens High School football team, becoming a highly touted prospect and turning down several college football powers for Rutgers.[1] 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.

He was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com while being recruited.[2] Zuttah commented that his final three schools came down to Rutgers, Maryland, and Pittsburgh.

College career

As a true freshman in 2004, Zuttah was a reserve player, 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 pave 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[3] and the Rotary Lombardi Award.[4] He has been named a pre-season All-America by Athlon Sports. 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.[5]

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Zuttah was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. He signed a multi-year contract with the team on July 22. After 4 seasons with the Buccaneers, Zuttah had played in 58 games, starting 44 of them. Of those 44 games, Zuttah started 30 games at left guard, 9 games at center, and 5 games at right guard. Due to his versatility, on March 5, 2012, Zuttah signed a 4-year contract to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[6]

Baltimore Ravens

On March 23, 2014, Zuttah was traded from the Buccaneers to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a fifth round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.[7] On November 18, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral, ending his season.[8]

On January 23, 2017, Zuttah was named to his first Pro Bowl for his efforts in the 2016 regular season. He replaced Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.[9]

San Francisco 49ers

On March 15, 2017, the Ravens traded Zuttah and a 2017 sixth-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers for their 2017 sixth-round draft pick.[10] He was released on August 9, 2017.[11]

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

On August 18, 2017, Zuttah re-signed with the Ravens.[12] On September 1, 2017, he was released by the Ravens during final roster cuts.[13]

References
  1. "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."
  2. "Rivals.com". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  3. Four RU Football Standouts Named to Preseason Watch Lists Archived July 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, www.scarletknights.com
  4. Zuttah Named to Rotary Lombardi Award Preliminary Watch List Archived October 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, www.scarletknights.com
  5. NorthJersey.com: providing local news, sports and classifieds for Northern New Jersey!
  6. ESPN.com!
  7. Wilson, Aaron. "Ravens acquire center Jeremy Zuttah from Tampa Bay Buccaneers". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  8. Mink, Ryan (November 18, 2015). "Ravens Center Jeremy Zuttah Put On Injured Reserve". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  9. "Center Jeremy Zuttah Added To Pro Bowl Roster". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  10. Meyer, Max. "Niners acquire Jeremy Zuttah in trade with Ravens". NFL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  11. "49ers Sign LB Sean Porter, Release OL Jeremy Zuttah". 49ers.com. August 9, 2017. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  12. Mink, Ryan (August 18, 2017). "Ravens Bring Back Center Jeremy Zuttah To Bolster Thin Interior Offensive Line". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  13. Mink, Ryan (September 1, 2017). "Ravens Announce 24 Roster Moves, Have 13 More To Make". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018.
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