Linus Zunk Still Doesn't Feel Like A Veteran, But He's Playing Like One

Nashville—As Linus Zunk wound up his leg, and punted a ball from Vanderbilt’s south end zone to nearly midfield after scoring a touchdown on Saturday night, he didn’t grab at his back or allow it to take away from the moment that he’d just had.

Zunk battled a back injury heading into fall camp and was sidelined throughout the first few weeks of it, but he was Vanderbilt’s best player on the field on Saturday night as he recorded 2.5 sacks and a touchdown.

Perhaps reaching the end zone was even sweeter for him as a result of what he’s gone through over the past few weeks.

“It was definitely a tricky process,” Zunk said on Saturday night. “It took me some time to figure it out. I feel good now. It definitely worked out for the better in time.”

Zunk stayed relatively healthy in 2024 as he played in all 13 of Vanderbilt’s games and recorded a career-high 16 tackles as well as 1.5 sacks. The numbers aren’t all that lofty for the Berlin, Germany, native, but his emergence as a real factor on Vanderbilt’s defense after coming to America as a high schooler with just two years of football experience under his belt is one of Vanderbilt’s best development stories.

The senior defensive lineman says he’s honing in on the “basics” as he has an opportunity to take a step forward as a headliner of what appears to be a deeper, more capable defensive line as a whole.

“This is a guy who has sneakily become one of our most reliable and consistent players,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said. “He’s made big plays for us, so it’s good to have him back coming off the back injury. I love that he made it through tonight with the heightened snap count and I think he did really well.”

Zunk’s performance was enough to make his veteran head coach bring up the idea that he’s now played a lot of football in Vanderbilt’s program over the years and is more valuable because of the experience that he brings. As Zunk hears of something like that he appears to be surprised, though.

The Vanderbilt senior arrived on campus in 2022 and was considered as a developmental project as he didn’t appear in a game in Vanderbilt’s 5-7 season. Zunk is far enough along to be considered a vet after 23 career appearances, but he still feels as if he’s early enough in his development to avoid that title.

“Sometimes you still feel like the young guy that just came in,” Zunk said. “You realize that on the other side you’ve actually got all these young freshmen that you now are the mentor to, that you seeked in people when you were in that position. But, I’ve played a lot of ball here even though I didn’t have that path that a lot of these guys that started playing when they were super young have had. But I feel confident, I feel good. I’ve definitely learned a lot about the game thanks to all these coaches and the way that they detail everything out and the way we learn the scheme, so it’s definitely been a great experience.”

Zunk’s experience isn’t over yet, though. Perhaps his best experience can be ahead of him, if Saturday’s scrimmage is any indication.