Zach Charbonnet
A punishing, workhorse running back whose bruising style and breakaway speed earned him a coveted spot in the NFL's second round.
Born 2001 (age 25)·American football player·Birthday: January 8·Generation Z
Biography
Zach Charbonnet built his football reputation on a simple, powerful premise: give him the ball and he will move the chains. His college journey saw him evolve from a promising recruit at Michigan into a dominant force at UCLA. With the Bruins, he transformed into one of the nation's most complete backs, a player equally capable of grinding out tough interior yards and exploding for long touchdowns. His final collegiate season was a masterpiece of production, earning him All-American honors and cementing his status as a top NFL prospect. The Seattle Seahawks, a franchise with a storied history of powerful runners, saw in him a kindred spirit, selecting him to be the new engine of their ground game.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Zach was born in 2001, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Zach Was Born
The biggest hits of 2001
#1 Movie
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Best Picture
A Beautiful Mind
#1 TV Show
Survivor
Zach's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
2001Born
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2006Started school
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2014Became a teenager
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2017Could drive
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2019Could vote
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2022Turned 21
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 25 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.
- Named a first-team All-American in 2022 after rushing for 1,359 yards and 14 touchdowns for UCLA.
- Earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in his final collegiate season.
- Rushed for over 2,500 all-purpose yards across his two seasons at UCLA.
Did You Know?
He was a highly-rated multi-sport athlete in high school in California, also playing basketball.
His older sister, Abby, played collegiate soccer at the University of San Francisco.
He scored a touchdown on his very first NFL carry in a preseason game.
“My job is to get the tough yards and protect the football.”
