From Harvard to the NFL

Long before his first step on the field at Harvard Stadium, Jacob Rizy ’23 already had the National Football League in mind. In fact, it has shaped his decision-making since the very conception of his athletic career.

During his high school recruitment process, Harvard’s football program stood out as an offer that could help him ascend both academically and personally to the highest level. At the time, Harvard was led by Tim Murphy, the longest-tenured and winningest head coach in the Ivy League. Not to mention that the program had produced several NFL offensive linemen whose high school recruiting profiles were not much different from his own: a steadfast offensive lineman ready to give his all. 

“I decided on Harvard due to [its] history of development, loyalty, and obviously academics,” Rizy explained in an interview with the “Harvard Independent.” 

“Harvard was the ideal place for me to grow as a student, athlete, and person,” Rizy added.

Arriving in Cambridge during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rizy’s freshman football season, like all other campus activities, was canceled, and because of restrictions, only freshmen lived on campus—this was by no means a typical first-year experience. 

For the football team, the pandemic brought a season without quarterbacks, virtually no contact, and too few players on campus to run anything resembling a productive practice. “As an offensive lineman, there was very little for me to actually accomplish as my position revolves around contact,” reflected Rizy. 

Perhaps one of the only silver linings of this unconventional year was team bonding. “Our freshman class [became] a close-knit group; however, it felt more like a gap year than his first year on a Division 1 football team,” Rizy shared. After navigating the trials of his ill-timed freshman season, Rizy appeared in only two games during his sophomore season, allowing him to preserve a year of eligibility through a redshirt.

Frustrating as it was, the setbacks of Rizy’s earlier career ironically ended up pushing him forward. “Although not having a lot of playing time and navigating COVID was difficult those two years, I was granted a lot of time to develop and learn how to play college football,” Rizy said. “Offensive line play is notoriously dependent on development, so this actually benefited me to wait so long to play regardless of how frustrated I was.”

In an effort to make Harvard’s travel team during his sophomore season, Rizy began practicing all five offensive line positions rather than specializing in a specific position on the O-line. “I love competing and found myself doing whatever I could to earn a role early on,” Rizy said. It was not until his junior season that Rizy’s long wait finally came to an end. 

Going into his third season for the Crimson, the team needed a right tackle. Having practiced at the position, Rizy naturally assumed the role. After a long journey to the field, Rizy stepped into his first full season with two additional years of development under his belt, plus versatility and field vision from practicing all five offensive line positions. Unsurprisingly, that season Rizy blocked for the Ivy League standout running back, Aidan Borguet, earning Second-Team All-Ivy League and Second-Team All-New England honors along the way.

During his senior season, Rizy’s versatility once again helped him earn a starting role, this time at the newly vacant left tackle position on the Crimson’s O-line. As for accolades, he had what one would call an “upward trajectory”—upgrading his Second-Team honors from the previous season to First-Team.

And while Rizy’s grit certainly remained a major factor in his success, his transformation into a chameleon on the offensive line was also a testament to the support he received from Harvard Football’s coaching staff. “Ultimately, my coaches were the ones who gave me all of those opportunities,” he said. “All I did was say yes when they offered them and let them teach me how to do it.” 

Upon graduating, Rizy had developed—as most Harvard students do—many lifelong friendships and an unwavering (albeit biased) pride in the Eliot House community alongside his athletic talents. “While it was definitely hard work to earn a degree and play football at the most prestigious college in the world, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat,” Rizy said. 

His four years with the Crimson ultimately culminated in a stunning triple-overtime victory over Penn, earning the team a share of the 2023 Ivy League title. 

Still intent on reaching the NFL, Rizy decided to enter the transfer portal at the end of his time with the Crimson. “My best path to the NFL was to transfer up to a bigger school and play against better competition to increase my stock,” Rizy said. To do so, Rizy had to close the chapter on his Harvard career. 

This June, the NCAA instated age-based eligibility guidelines permitting a fifth year. Despite this national change, the Ivy League contentiously maintains that only enrolled undergraduates may compete in the conference. It does so to ensure the league’s focus on a traditional four-year undergraduate experience. Thus, Ivy League athletes like Rizy who want to utilize their additional eligibility must transfer to outside programs.

Rizy’s offensive versatility made him an asset in both the graduate transfer portal, where he eventually committed to Florida State University, and later helped him draw attention from NFL scouts. “Playing multiple positions helped a ton in the process of moving to higher and higher levels as it displayed that I can do what the team requires in order to win games,” Rizy explained. During his two years at FSU, Rizy’s adaptability remained on full display, yet again making appearances at all five positions for the Seminoles, just as he had done for Harvard.

“It was conflicting at first to put on another uniform because I loved my time at Harvard,” Rizy admitted. Over time and with the support of his teammates, coaches, and communities, Rizy adjusted to life as a Seminole. Through it all, the camaraderie and dedicated fanbases he had known at Harvard remained familiar, even in his new environment.

“I love the contrast in environments between Boston and Tallahassee,” shared Rizy. “Being from the Northeast, it was great to experience Southern hospitality for the first time.”

After signing with the New England Patriots this spring, Rizy’s football career seems to have come full circle—or shall we say, round trip? Returning to the Northeast—Foxborough, more specifically—Rizy spent the summer training as a center with the Patriots, bringing his patient tenacity with him. 

After a successful summer, he quickly became one of the team’s top backup centers, and recently, he was named one of 12 players signed to this year’s practice squad. Most notably, on Aug. 13, Rizy, then third-string, made an unexpected appearance in a preseason matchup against the Indianapolis Colts after Ben Brown was injured in the first quarter.

In a post-practice press conference after his appearance, Rizy commented on his time on the field and adjusting to the speed of the NFL. 

“The first thing that crossed my mind was, you know, I know how much Ben has been working. It was really unfortunate to see that happen,” Rizy commented to the media. “You never wish that for your teammates—but I knew I had to go play.” 

“He’s battled, he’s competed, he’s studied,” said Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel about Rizy’s performance to the media—sounds like a Harvard athlete to me. Not much unlike his early career, many unknowns remain in Rizy’s future with the Patriots. For now, Rizy told the media he is focusing on “trying to get 1% better every day” as he continues to adjust to the pace and play of the NFL. 

Rizy continues to demonstrate the attributes that made him successful for the Crimson, from his tenacious yet patient approach to the field to his continued adherence to “Harvard Football time.” The standard Coach Tim Murphy set is simple: arrive 15 minutes early to everything.

Megan Legault ’28 (mlegault@college.harvard.edu) thinks Jacob Rizy has an awesome name.