Chippewa Valley Times

Zach Zilm Jr., a 2019 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, has been hired as a player personnel assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders. Zilm, who played quarterback for the Blugolds, is now part of the NFL team's scouting department.

“I work in the scouting department,” Zilm says. “I do a little bit of everything. I help out with the pro and college side. It’s been fun so far. I’m just trying to learn as much as I possibly can.”

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Zilm joined the Raiders after more than two years with the Wisconsin Badgers football program. He began there as a player personnel intern and was later promoted to assistant director of player personnel.

“It was kind of like the perfect storm,” Zilm says of his time with the Badgers. “And it just all came together really well. Being born and raised in Madison, it was a dream come true to really be able to work for the Badgers.”

Before his tenure at Wisconsin, Zilm worked at both the U.S. Naval Academy and Western Illinois University.

Reflecting on his career path, Zilm credits his experiences at UW-Eau Claire for preparing him for opportunities in football administration.

“A lot of it was just being able to network with people and be comfortable coming out of my shell. Just really building those relationships with people and being able to relate with all different walks of life,” Zilm says. “There are people from all over that come to UW-Eau Claire to play football, and I learned a lot during my time there, both from a football standpoint and how to be a good teammate.”

He also points to key mentors who guided him academically.

“Dennis Beale was really big for me,” Zilm recalls. “He was my mentor. He worked with Blugold Beginnings and is now doing his own thing with [his nonprofit group] Power of Perception. I really leaned on him heavily. Cindy Hofacker in the College of Business — I learned a lot from her. There were so many people who gave me the right ideas and showed me the right way to do things and how to work hard. It was obviously a great experience, and I learned a lot during my time at UW-Eau Claire.”

Looking ahead, Zilm says he hopes one day to move into an NFL front office leadership role.

“I started researching NFL general managers and just kind of seeing what the process was, how they got to where they were, and I just kind of fell in love with the idea of being in an NFL front office,” Zilm says. “I’d love to be a general manager one day. That would be the long-term goal.”

For now, he remains focused on learning within his new position.

“Right now, I just really want to be in the scouting department and work my way up,” he says. “I’m very excited for this step in the journey of my life. I’m just going to work hard and make Madison, Eau Claire and Wisconsin proud.”