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Zak Kustok
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Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of journal entries written by
Northwestern QB Zak Kustok, who is preparing for the upcoming NFL draft on April 20-21. In
Part 1, Kustok talks about his transfer to Northwestern, his time there and what it taught
him about perseverance.
You would think that the hard part leading up to the NFL draft is over. The three
months of preparation before the Combine and NFL workouts are through. And the Combine,
school pro days and individual workouts with teams are more or less in the books.
But that isn’t the hard time. Yes, it is hard work, but college football players
are used to preparing for the upcoming season and performing in stressful situations in
front of people. The hard time is going to be the two weeks leading up to the draft. It is
no longer in our control. We cannot work out for NFL teams after April 9, so after that
time, all we can do is wait.
I’m Zak Kustok, and I am the author of this draft diary. For the past three years,
I have been the quarterback at Northwestern University. To give you a little background
information on me, I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. In April of my junior
year of high school, I made an oral commitment to Lou Holtz to attend the University of
Notre Dame. I knew that Notre Dame was the perfect fit for me as well as my No. 1 college
choice, so I didn’t see any reason to wait. I was the earliest commitment Coach Holtz
had ever received at Notre Dame.
Needless to say, I didn’t stay at Notre Dame. During my freshman year, Bob Davie
became the head coach. The offensive coordinator and QB coach who recruited me left, along
with Coach Holtz, and to make a long story short, things did not work out. I transferred
to Northwestern mainly because I wanted to play in Chicago in front of my family and
friends.
I am not one to really like talking about my stats or accomplishments, but just so you
get an idea of what I did on the field, I will tell you a little. I was a three-year
starter at Northwestern — I started from the moment I became eligible. I was an
honorable mention All-American the past two years. In my senior season, I ranked first in
the Big Ten and ninth in the country in total offense (which is passing and rushing yards
combined) with about 300 yards per game, and I also accounted for 31 touchdowns. Along
with David Carr, Joey Harrington, Eric Crouch, and Kurt Kittner, I was one of five
finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which goes to the best senior
quarterback in the country.
Above all, the accomplishment that I am most proud of during my college career is
winning a share of the Big Ten championship in my junior year. That accomplishment is so
special because it was reached as a team, not as an individual. Northwestern ended up
being the perfect fit for me, and through all the ups and downs, I couldn’t ask for
anything more from my college football experience.
What I learned from that experience is that sometimes there are roadblocks in the path
to your immediate goals, and there are people who doubt you. But so long as you have an
unwavering belief in yourself and continue to persevere through the minor setbacks,
nothing can stop you from succeeding — in football or in life.
This life lesson is helping me during the time leading up to the draft. There are some
people who have doubts as to whether or not I can play in the NFL. For example, I was
looking at The Sporting News’ draft issue at the store the other day. They basically
said that I was a great college quarterback, but that I would not make it in the NFL. Then
I saw that they had my height and weight wrong, and that the 40-yard dash time that they
had for me was about three-tenths of a second off my workout times. For those who
don’t know, that’s quite a major difference.
I am not going to write what went through my head because I’m sure my mom is going
to read this, but I put down the magazine and told myself that I wasn’t going to look
at these anymore. It doesn’t matter to me what the so-called draft experts think,
because I know that I am going to make it.
Of course I would love to get drafted high, but I just pray every night that I go to a
team that is the right fit for me. The rest will take care of itself. My agent, Fletcher
Smith, who works for CSMG and represents Donovan McNabb and Cris Carter, has told me that
through talking to NFL teams, he’s heard I could go anywhere between the fourth round
and free agency. There are so many different factors that go into the selections on Draft
Day that it is hard to tell for sure, but the positive is that he said they all think that
I can play in the league. Once you go to camp, where you were drafted really doesn’t
matter anymore. I don’t think the veterans care. I don’t think the coaches care.
Once you get into camp, you have to earn their respect by what you do on the field. That
is the part that I am excited about.
So there’s an introduction as to who I am. In the next two weeks leading up to the
draft, I will talk about my training, the all-star games I played in, and my workouts for
NFL teams. I have one workout on (Sunday) April 7th with the Chicago Bears,
which I am really looking forward to. It is fun to think that I get to work out for the
team I have been cheering for since I was a little kid. But I just try to keep everything
in perspective and enjoy this great opportunity.
Part 2: Humbled, but persistent and
ready to overcome adversity |
