Jeremy Kwasi Zuttah (born June 1, 1986) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Rutgers Scarlet Knights The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus. In sports, Rutgers is famously known for being the "Birthplace of College Football", hosting the first ever intercollegiate football ...

and was selected by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

in the third round of the

2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...

. He was also a member of the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Early life

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

powers for Rutgers. Zuttah's career followed in the footsteps of his older brother Jeff, who committed to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 2003, but never played a down after team doctors became concerned about his

sickle-cell anemia Sickle cell disease (SCD), also simply called sickle cell, is a group of inherited haemoglobin-related blood disorders. The most common type is known as sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying ...

. Jeff later transferred to

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. He was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com while being recruited. 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 Raymell Mourice Rice (born January 22, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers ...

during his freshman season. In 2006, Rutgers switched to a

zone blocking In American football, blocking or interference (or running interference) involves legal movements in which one player uses his body to obstruct another player's path. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players from tackling the ball c ...

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 The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

honors as the Rutgers

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

only surrendered 8 sacks all season, the fewest in all of

Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

, also ranking fifteenth in the nation in rushing. In 2007, Zuttah was named to the preseason watch lists for the

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that g ...

and the Rotary Lombardi Award. He has been named a pre-season

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

b
Athlon Sports
Zuttah was named to the 2007 Big Eas
All-Academic
and All-Conference teams. An excellent student, Zuttah graduated Rutgers with an economics degree in 3.5 years.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Zuttah was selected by the

in the third round (83rd overall) of the

. 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 In American football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is an offensive line player who lines up between the center and the tackles. Like other offensive line positions, guards are used primarily for blocking. Right ...

, 9 games at

, and 5 games at

right guard In American football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is an offensive line player who lines up between the center and the tackles. Like other offensive line positions, guards are used primarily for blocking. Right ...

. Due to his versatility, on March 5, 2012, Zuttah signed a 4-year contract to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Baltimore Ravens (first stint)

On March 23, 2014, Zuttah was traded from the Buccaneers to the

in exchange for a fifth round pick in the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

. On November 18, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral, ending his season. On January 23, 2017, Zuttah was named to his first

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

for his efforts in the 2016 regular season. He replaced

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

center Maurkice Pouncey.

San Francisco 49ers

On March 15, 2017, the Ravens traded Zuttah and a 2017 sixth-round draft pick to the

for their 2017 sixth-round draft pick. He was released on August 9.

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

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

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zuttah, Jeremy 1986 births Living people American Conference Pro Bowl players American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles American football centers Baltimore Ravens players J. P. Stevens High School alumni Sportspeople from Edison, New Jersey Rutgers Scarlet Knights football players San Francisco 49ers players Players of American football from Middlesex County, New Jersey Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players