Zach Tom is starting a new chapter with a new last name.
The Packers right tackle will now go by Zach Tom Bako-Bewele, a change that honors his family’s Nigerian roots. The update is already showing up on Green Bay’s official website and inside the team’s locker room, and Tom confirmed it himself on Sunday.
“I want to have a name, especially when I started having kids and stuff, that I can pass down where it represents where they came from, where I came from,” Zach said, explaining the switch. “I just feel like that people will see that name and have a good understanding of who I am.”
The name Bako-Bewele carries both sides of his father’s family. Bako comes from his father’s mother, while Bewele comes from his father’s father.
Zach Tom has changed his last name to Bako-Bewele.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 2, 2026
Bako is his dad’s mom’s last name.
Bewele is his dad’s dad’s last name.
His ancestry is Nigerian. pic.twitter.com/CGMECZqDz1
Born Zachary Miskom Tom to Michael and Vanessa Tom, Bako-Bewele has spent his entire NFL career in Green Bay since the Packers picked him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He got five starts as a rookie, then locked down the job full time, starting every regular-season game in 2023 and 2024. Injuries slowed him in 2025, when he played in 12 games after missing five.
Even with the missed time, he stayed among the league’s best tackles. He didn’t give up a sack in 2025 and has allowed only six sacks and 85 pressures over 55 career games, including 51 starts.
Pro Football Focus gave him an 83.5 overall grade last season, which ranked seventh out of 89 qualifying tackles. He was 12th in run blocking and 15th in pass blocking.
The year before, PFF had him fourth overall, 12th in pass blocking and third in run blocking.
That play earned him a four-year, $88 million extension from the Packers. He still hasn’t made a Pro Bowl or earned All-Pro honors, but he enters 2026 healthy and expects to be in the lineup when Green Bay opens against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13.
In Other News...
Wisconsins Lambeau Opener Will Say A Lot About Luke Fickell
Wisconsins 2026 opener at Lambeau Field already stands out as one of the biggest games on the schedule, and not just because it brings Notre Dame to Green Bay for a neutral-site showcase. It will be the first real measuring stick for Luke Fickell in a season that begins with a national spotlight, a demanding opponent and a schedule that is fully laid out from Week 1 through the regular-season finale. For a program trying to keep moving forward under a coach still shaping the roster and identity, the first Saturday in September figures to carry extra weight.
Notre Dame arrives with the kind of profile that makes an early upset difficult, built around continuity, a veteran coaching staff and more depth than Wisconsin can match on paper right now. Fickell has talked this offseason about the work ahead and the importance of being ready from the start, and this matchup will test how close the Badgers are to that standard. The full slate offers chances to settle in after the opener, but the tone of the season may already be set by the time the teams leave Lambeau Field. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin May Be Headed For A Kicking Battle Fans Dread
Wisconsins kicking situation has become one of those quiet summer storylines that can wind up mattering more than anyone expects. Nathanial Vakos, who has handled the job before, is trying to come back for a fifth college season while working through a legal battle for additional eligibility, and that has left the Badgers with an uneasy waiting game as they sort out what the spot might look like if he is not part of it.
For now, the roster picture only adds to the uncertainty. Gavin Lahm and Brady Lelum are both in the mix, but neither has attempted a field goal in college, which makes the competition feel more about projection than proven production. If Vakos does get back on the field, Wisconsin will still have to decide whether his past work makes him the safest answer, or whether this position is headed for the kind of fall battle fans would rather avoid. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin May Have Finally Found The Spark Jeff Grimes Needed
Wisconsin has spent much of the Luke Fickell era searching for steadier play at quarterback, with transfers cycling through and too often not sticking around long enough to provide the kind of continuity an offense needs. This offseason brought another swing at solving that problem, but the addition of Colton Joseph from Old Dominion feels a little different because of the way he plays rather than just where he came from.
Joseph brings a dynamic style that could fit what coordinator Jeff Grimes wants to build, and CBS Sports recently ranked him among the 10 most elusive quarterbacks in college football based on several performance metrics. For a program that has been trying to find a spark and an identity under center, the appeal is obvious, even if the real answer still has to be proven once the games start. [Read more 🡒]