{"id":587958,"date":"2026-04-16T15:29:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/587958\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T15:29:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:29:09","slug":"zack-folletts-life-after-cal-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/587958\/","title":{"rendered":"Zack Follett’s life after Cal football"},"content":{"rendered":"

No one just hands out a college football nickname like \u201cPain Train.\u201d You have to earn it. And no one earned it quite like Cal football\u2019s Zack Follett. After a 2005 game against No. 1 USC, he was suspended for ramming his facemask into a helmet-less LenDale White. In 2007, the linebacker absolutely destroyed Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge<\/a> with a blindside hit Golden Bears fans still talk about to this day. In 2008, Follett sent Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter home on literal crutches, fueled by the simple fact that Carpenter called him \u201cZack\u201d during a Sun Devils win a year prior.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was calling me by my first name, like we\u2019re best friends or something,\u201d a sincerely aggrieved Follett told reporters at the time.<\/p>\n

There have been a lot of bad, bad men who\u2019ve played for the Cal defense over the program\u2019s 140-year history, but maybe none badder than Follett. He didn\u2019t just inflict pain \u2014 he told you, very loudly, in advance, that the Pain Train was coming.<\/p>\n

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The one time ABC mic\u2019d up Follett (during warmups of that 2008 ASU-Cal game), he sounded like an absolute maniac<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Cal\u2019s<\/p>\n

Cal\u2019s Zack Follett nearly sacks Tennessee\u2019s Erik Ainge during a game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Sept. 1, 2007. California defeated Tennessee 45-31.<\/p>\n

Michael J. Burns\/Courtesy of Cal Athletics\"Zack<\/p>\n

Zack Follett of California celebrates after a big play during the game at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore., on Nov. 15, 2008. Oregon State defeated California 34-21.<\/p>\n

Michael Pimentel \/Courtesy of Cal Athletics\"Zack<\/p>\n

Zack Follett, 56, grabs onto Coby Fleener, 82, during the 111th Big Game. California defeated Stanford 37-16 on Nov. 22, 2008, at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.<\/p>\n

Kelley Cox\/Courtesy of Cal Athletics<\/p>\n

\u201cWoo. Woo. Coming for Carpenter, baby, all day,\u201d Follett said, before later spotting the ASU quarterback warming up on the opposite end of the field. \u201c… There he is. There he is. 1-2. Carpenter about to get the business. … The Pain Train\u2019s coming today, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Legendary Cal head coach Jeff Tedford, now 64 and retired, says there\u2019s really only one reason Follett could be so vocal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was in a position to do it because he made a lot of plays. It wasn\u2019t just talk,\u201d Tedford says. \u201cHe could do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follett finished his four-year Cal career in the top 10 all-time in tackles (245), tackles for loss (51) and sacks (23.5). Oh, and he set a school record and tied a Pac-10 record for forced fumbles (13). He also remains the only Cal football player in history to show up to the conference\u2019s Media Day with tiger stripes and a giant \u201cZ\u201d dyed in his hair.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe played middle linebacker,\u201d Tedford says matter-of-factly. \u201cYou\u2019ve gotta have a little bit of recklessness to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follett parlayed that recklessness into his name being called on the third day of the 2009 NFL Draft, as a seventh-round pick by the Detroit Lions. In a single season, he went from being released by the Lions in preseason cuts to reclaiming a roster spot, and being named one of the team\u2019s starting linebackers in year two.<\/p>\n

\"Zack\u00a0Follett<\/p>\n

Zack\u00a0Follett went on to a brief career for the Detroit Lions after his time at Cal.<\/p>\n

Gavin Smith\/Courtesy of Cal Athletics<\/p>\n

And then, in the blink of an eye, his career ended. A horrific special teams hit in a game against the New York Giants in October of 2010 left him unable to move. Momentarily paralyzed, Follett was carted off the field. While he regained feeling in his neck and spine later that day, a year\u2019s worth of visits to specialists couldn\u2019t alleviate what Follett described to reporters repeatedly as his neck being \u201con fire\u201d while practicing.<\/p>\n

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In 2011, he was released by the Lions, joining the small handful of players who always come up whenever a group of Cal fans, usually after a beer to two, start a round of \u201cI wonder what happened to that guy?\u201d<\/p>\n

The thing is, if I gave you a thousand guesses, you\u2019d never guess what actually happened to Zack Follett.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/p>\n

At left, Tennessee quarterback Erik\u00a0Ainge prepares to throw a pass as Cal’s Zach Follett closes in\u00a0at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sept. 1, 2007. Cal defeated Tennessee 45-31. At right, Cal head coach Jeff Tedford hugs Zack Follett, foreground.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Cal Athletics<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a few hours before kickoff for Cal-Boston College, a game that will eventually become one of the most electric wins from the Golden Bears\u2019 2025 campaign thanks to some late heroics from quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and tight end Mason Mini. I\u2019m in the basement floor of Lyons Hall on the Boston College campus, which is filled with Old Blues in full Cal regalia here for a pre-game alumni tailgate on a picture-perfect September afternoon. The Golden Bears\u2019 mascot Oski is on hand, as are Chancellor Rich Lyons, football general manager Ron Rivera and \u201cTeddy\u2019s Bears\u201d \u2014 a group of storied Cal football alums who all played for Tedford during his 11-year tenure in the Strawberry Canyon. Assembled by former Cal quarterback and forever Big Game hero Steve Levy<\/a>, Teddy\u2019s Bears are a who\u2019s-who of Golden Bears greats who now get together to share a game with their former coach every year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cTedford had a fatherly presence with all of us, it\u2019s like we all shared the same dad,\u201d Cal receiving legend Geoff McArthur explains. Tedford is here with a graying goatee and a head-to-toe Cal outfit, and he\u2019s coincidentally seated just one table away from a woman in the tie-dyed \u201cTed Head\u201d shirt that every fan who watched the team in the 2000s will remember instantly.<\/p>\n

After the assembled crowd has had a few local brews and some mostly mediocre Boston clam chowder, the cheer team shows up and the tailgate rally gets underway. Lyons shares a few words, Rivera gets on stage to talk about the bright future of Cal football, then, finally, it\u2019s time for a surprise closer: Tedford himself. And what a surprise closer he is \u2014 the former Cal coach (who used to work so late into the night in Berkeley he\u2019d oftentimes sleep in a cot in Memorial Stadium) finished his career in Berkeley with the most bowl wins (5), conference wins (50) and games coached (139) in the school\u2019s history, plus tied the legendary Pappy Waldorf for the most Big Game wins (7) against rival Stanford before being let go by Cal in 2012.<\/p>\n

In a rarity, he\u2019s back at a Cal game today, and he\u2019s giving a fiery speech probably not all that different from the ones he used to give in the Golden Bears\u2019 locker room. Toward the end of his football sermon, he gives a shoutout to his former charges standing in the back of the room, naming them one by one before coming to a pause.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Pain Train is here,\u201d he says after a beat, to an uproarious response from the\u00a0alums in attendance. Follett gives a sheepish wave before turning and pacing a bit in the other direction while looking down at his sneakers \u2014 uninterested in a spotlight that had shown so brightly on him for so many years.<\/p>\n

\"Zack<\/p>\n

Zack Follett of California points to the sky after his sack during the Big Game between Cal and Stanford, at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Nov. 22, 2008. California defeated Stanford 37-16.<\/p>\n

Michael Burns\/Courtesy of Cal Athletics\"The<\/p>\n

The 111th Big Game between California and Stanford at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Nov. 22, 2008. Cal defeated Stanford 37-16.<\/p>\n

Michael Pimentel \/Courtesy of Cal Athletics\"Zack<\/p>\n

Zack Follett plays in a game against USC at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Nov. 3, 2007.<\/p>\n

Michael Burns\/Courtesy of Cal Athletics<\/p>\n

Tedford tells the hundred or so Old Blues that when Follett was a junior, he ended up in his office one day and told Cal\u2019s head coach he was lost. Everyone in Follett\u2019s life knew who No. 56 was: one of the game\u2019s meanest, most ferocious linebackers. But none of them knew who Zack was. While he\u2019s forgotten a few of Follett\u2019s biggest hits all these years later, Tedford still vividly remembers that office visit.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe was trying to figure life out. And with the pressures of academics and high-level football and expectation, he hit a point in there where he was really trying to do some soul-searching about who he was \u2014 why did people like him? What were his relationships about? Were they because of him or because of football?\u201d Tedford says on a phone call when I ask him about that Boston College speech months later. \u201cHe was trying to find an identity. The football piece was evident that he was a great football player, but as people, young people at that stage in their life, there\u2019s just a lot more stuff to figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zack the football player and Zack the person<\/a> had been diametrically opposed since birth.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe always has been a rough player,\u201d his mom, Naomi Follett, told the Oakland Tribune<\/a> in 2006, Zack\u2019s sophomore at Cal. \u201cI remember that year when Zack was in fifth grade. This kid had a birthday party, but Zack didn\u2019t get invited because he played too rough. The mom didn\u2019t want her house messed up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Zack<\/p>\n

Zack Follett of California puts pressure on Oregon State\u2019s quarterback Lyle Moevao during a game at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore., Nov. 15, 2008. Oregon State defeated California 34-21.<\/p>\n

Michael Pimentel \/Courtesy of Cal Athletics<\/p>\n

In that same interview, Naomi\u00a0Follett told the story of Zack going hunting with his dad, shooting a squirrel, seeing it dead and telling his dad: \u201cI don\u2019t think I want to do this anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt broke his heart,\u201d his mom said.<\/p>\n

Zack the football player and Zack the person finally found balance just a few nights after that junior-year visit to Tedford\u2019s office. That\u2019s when, he says, he first found religion while walking down Telegraph Avenue with his cousin, former Cal baseball player Brad Steele.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure exactly what had changed, but he went to sleep that night feeling like a different person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wake up next morning and I\u2019m like, now how does this work? Does this mean I can sin as much as I want?\u201d Follett says. He freely admits that his church prior to that Telegraph Avenue walk included a holy trinity of football, girls and partying. He wasn\u2019t sure where to start. Fortunately, clues came from a familiar place: the football locker room.<\/p>\n

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\"Zack<\/p>\n

Zack Follett was immediately recognizable by his tiger-striped hair, featuring a huge\u00a0Z on the back of his head.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Cal Athletics\"Zack<\/p>\n

Zack Follett acknowledges the fans after receiving Defensive Player of the Game at the Emerald Bowl between the California Golden Bears and Miami Hurricanes. California defeated Miami 24-17 at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Dec. 27, 2008.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kelley Cox\/Courtesy of Cal Athletics<\/p>\n

\u201cScott Smith was a senior when I was a freshman, he was a Christian, and he had purchased a Bible for everyone on the team and had our names inscribed on it and our number,\u201d Follett says. \u201cThe Bible sat on my desk, I never opened it one time.\u201d<\/p>\n

On this morning, though, Follett opened it to a random page, read a few lines and in a split second, reconsidered his entire life.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m the type of guy who can\u2019t keep anything to myself, I always speak the truth. So the next day \u2014 I wasn\u2019t raised in this, I didn\u2019t know people don\u2019t like Jesus \u2014 but I\u2019m in Berkeley, at training table the next day. And I say to my teammates, \u2018Bro, have you guys all heard about Jesus? Do you know you\u2019ve sinned and you need to repent?\u2019 And they\u2019re like, \u2018Bro, you were just holding a beer bong for me last week, what are you talking about?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Cal punting legend Nick Harris would teach Follett how to read the Bible during visits to Berkeley\u2019s beloved Raleigh\u2019s Pub. Game-day eye black that read \u201cJesus\u201d and \u201cChrist\u201d followed soon after, along with one of the most unforgettable seasons for a defender in Cal\u2019s history. His senior year, Follett led the country in tackles for loss (23), was sixth in forced fumbles (5) and 14th in sacks (10.5 sacks). It was one of the program\u2019s best statistical seasons ever. The team finished 9-4 \u2014 only the fifth season with nine or more wins for a Cal team since the 1950s \u2014 and Follett was a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the country\u2019s best defensive player. He was a first-team All-Pac-10 honoree and the defensive MVP of the Emerald Bowl.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 111th Big Game between California and Stanford at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Nov. 22, 2008. Cal defeated Stanford 37-16.<\/p>\n

Michael Burns\/Courtesy of Cal Athletics<\/p>\n

The greatest season of his football life, though, somehow still felt hollow.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBeing a good person, tackling Erik Ainge, winning games, that\u2019s not what gets you into heaven,\u201d Follett says.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering where Zack Follett ended up all these years later, the answer is a Christian coffee shop in Clovis, California.<\/p>\n

After his NFL career ended, he briefly moved to the U.K., where he joined the Sky Sports broadcast team in London for its coverage of the NFL. He appeared on the desk during four weeks of the 2011 season, including the NFL Wild Card Playoff round. Then one night in Marlow, England \u2014\u00a0the same town T.S. Eliot lived in during World War I \u2014 Follett found the unlikeliest of callings at a quaint British cafe called Costa Coffee, in a town of just 14,000 people.<\/p>\n

\"Zack\u00a0Follett,<\/p>\n

Zack\u00a0Follett, owner of several Kuppa Joy Coffee House locations, stands in his grand cafe in Fresno, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garry Kazanjian for SFGATE<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never been to a coffee shop except Starbucks in my life,\u201d he says. \u201cBut there was a different atmosphere there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As he sat by the window at Costa Coffee with his Bible in hand, he couldn\u2019t get over the sight of people connecting over coffee. Something spiritual inside of him told him he needed to bring that experience to his hometown.<\/p>\n

So he moved back to California. And at the end of 2012, in the heart of Old Town Clovis almost 200 miles from Memorial Stadium, he opened Kuppa Joy.<\/p>\n

To call it a Christian coffee shop might actually be underselling Kuppa Joy. It\u2019s an extremely Christian coffee shop: There\u2019s an ornate throne reserved for God that\u2019s elevated in the middle of the business. The paper cups have a dramatic drawing of Jesus on the cross with a serpent with wings staring him down. \u201cKINGJESUS\u201d is their Wi-Fi password. And the most popular drink is the \u201cHallelujah,\u201d so that everyone ordering it would automatically be praising God, as in: \u201cCan I get a Hallelujah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Biblical<\/p>\n

Biblical cups are served to every customer at Zack\u00a0Follett\u2019s Kuppa Joy Coffee House in Clovis, Calif., pictured Monday, March 9, 2026. Follett was an NFL linebacker for the Detroit Lions before a career-ending injury.<\/p>\n

Garry Kazanjian for SFGATE\"A<\/p>\n

A barista prepares a latte at Zack\u00a0Follett\u2019s\u00a0Kuppa Joy Coffee House grand cafe in Fresno, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garry Kazanjian for SFGATE\"A<\/p>\n

A throne is the centerpiece at Zack\u00a0Follett\u2019s Kuppa Joy Coffee House location in Clovis, Calif., pictured Monday, March 9, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garry Kazanjian for SFGATE<\/p>\n

Follett says he was a Folgers coffee drinker at the time he decided to open Kuppa Joy. His mom and sister told him he was crazy for even considering it. He told his mom he could \u201cnever sit behind a desk.\u201d So he dove in: He did a weeklong coffee school in Portland, Oregon, learning the ins and outs of the coffee business. He turned his kitchen into an espresso test kitchen. He toured every high-end San Francisco coffee shop with former Cal tight end Eric Beegun, from Blue Bottle to Verve.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019d never had a job before. My first job was \u2018NFL football player.\u2019 And now I\u2019m trying to make a schedule and employee handbooks,\u201d Follett remembers. \u201cEveryone kept saying, \u2018You\u2019re going to be a year in business before your [profit and loss] is out of the red.\u2019 Month one it was in the black. We were overwhelmed, there was a line out the door when we first opened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fourteen years later,\u00a0Follett now has eight Kuppa Joy locations, 150 employees, a bakery, a roastery, a commissary kitchen and four Best Coffee House in Central California awards from the Fresno Bee. He regularly goes on mission trips to Guatemala, where he also directly sources enormous shipping containers of beans from local farmers. Three years ago, he assembled a weekly outreach team that serves coffee and baked goods to Fresno\u2019s homeless population at a local shelter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A busy morning at Kuppa Joy Coffee House in Fresno, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garry Kazanjian for SFGATE\"Zack\u00a0Follett,<\/p>\n

Zack\u00a0Follett, center, owner of several Kuppa Joy Coffee House locations, shares a laugh with two customers\u00a0at his grand cafe in Fresno, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garry Kazanjian for SFGATE\"A<\/p>\n

A busy afternoon at Zack\u00a0Follett\u2019s Kuppa Joy Coffee House location in Clovis, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 28 2026.<\/p>\n

Garry Kazanjian for SFGATE<\/p>\n

\u201cI want it to be known that I cannot take credit for this. I have ADHD. Thank God for AI emails,\u201d he jokes. \u201cEven when I was at Berkeley, I looked like a high school kid turning in a paper next to these smart brilliant people. I had no clue what I was doing this whole time, every day is a trial. But I just had faith. You can do anything with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Just after Tedford finished talking about Follett during his Boston College speech, a woman came up to the ex-Cal player. \u201cWhile Coach Tedford was talking, she got a text that her daughter was being taken to a hospital in New York,\u201d Follett says. \u201cShe said, \u2018You\u2019re the only Christian I know, I need to pray with someone.\u2019 So we prayed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Zack\u00a0Follett,<\/p>\n

Zack\u00a0Follett, owner of several Kuppa Joy Coffee House locations, is shown at his grand cafe in Fresno, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garry Kazanjian for SFGATE<\/p>\n

Zack Follett spent decades wrestling with who he was. On that bluebird September day in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, it couldn\u2019t have been clearer. To that woman. To Tedford. And maybe even finally to Zack.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember him as a great player. He was someone you could count on on the football field, he worked really hard, never had one issue with him off the field, academically or disciplinary,\u201d Tedford says. \u201cBut the one thing that always sticks out is his transformation of his faith. The strength and vision that gave him is really special. I remember that more than any of those plays.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cI forgot about the headbutt until he reminded me of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Cal football is set to host its spring game with a new head coach at the helm: Tosh Lupoi, who worked directly with Follett during his first season as a graduate assistant coach in Berkeley in 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe as a linebacker having 10.5 sacks was not possible without Tosh Lupoi. He had fire and tenacity that matched me. I think he gets it, I think he\u2019s going to build a powerhouse program,\u201d he says. And Follett says he\u2019s already looking for ways he can help \u2014 he wants nothing more than to give back to a place that changed his life forever.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBerkeley is one of the happiest places on Earth for me,\u201d Follett says. \u201cThere\u2019s a freedom in Berkeley. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re a Christian, you can be anything.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No one just hands out a college football nickname like \u201cPain Train.\u201d You have to earn it. And…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":587959,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,13499,13472,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-587958","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-sfgfood","13":"tag-sfgsports","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/587959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=587958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}