Who is Tommy DeVito? Get to know the Giants' fan-favorite QB

In the course of about a month, Giants rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito has gone from a relatively unknown, undrafted practice-squad player to a national folk hero.

But who exactly is DeVito? Where did he get his start? And why does everyone call him "Tommy Cutlets?"

Here's a guide to the player taking the NFL by storm.

Hometown kid

DeVito is a New Jersey kid through and through. He was born in Livingston (about a half hour from MetLife Stadium), and grew up in Cedar Grove (about 20 minutes away). In fact, he still lives at home with his parents even as the Giants' starting quarterback (more on that later).

DeVito played high school football at Don Bosco Prep, a perennial national powerhouse. He led the Ironmen to a state title as a junior in 2015 — a game that was played at MetLife Stadium, his future Giants home — and finished his career with 3,800 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns.

College career

DeVito began his college career at Syracuse. He took over as the starter in his redshirt sophomore season in 2019, passing for 2,360 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushing for 122 yards and two scores. He missed most of his 2020 junior season due to a leg injury (taking a medical redshirt in the process), then was replaced as the starter three games into the 2021 season.

DeVito transferred to Illinois for his final college season. He started all 13 games for the Illini, setting a school record for completion percentage (69.6), throwing for 2,650 yards and totaling 21 touchdowns (15 passing, six rushing).

A Giant leap

DeVito went undrafted in April's NFL draft, but signed as a free agent with the Giants shortly after. He spent the early portion of the season on the practice squad behind starter Daniel Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor.

DeVito saw his first NFL action against the Jets on Oct. 29, after Taylor (starting in place of Jones, who was out with a neck injury) suffered a rib cage injury. DeVito, having received virtually no reps of value in practice, was asked to manage the game rather than take risks for the win. He threw just seven passes, completing two, but did rush for a six-yard touchdown.

The following week against the Raiders, DeVito again was asked to play in relief — this time for Jones, who tore his ACL in the game. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 175 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in the 30-6 loss.

Now the first-string QB, DeVito lost his first career start to the Cowboys, 49-17, on Nov. 12. Since then, however, he has led the Giants to a three-game win streak, including Monday night's primetime rally against the Green Bay Packers on national television.

Giants QB Tommy DeVito by the numbers

Age: 25

Games played/started: 6/4

Attempts: 126

Completions: 83

Completion percentage: 65.9

Passing yards: 855

Passing TDs: 8

Interceptions: 3

Rushing attempts: 31

Rushing yards: 154

Rushing TDs: 1

*-stats through Week 14

Italian heritage

DeVito is very proud of his Italian heritage. When he enters the field during pregame warmups and after every touchdown, he celebrates with a hand gesture known as the "mano a borsa" (also known as the "ma che vuoi?", the "finger purse," or the "pinched fingers" emoji).

When asked about it after the Giants' 10-7 victory against the Patriots on Nov. 26, DeVito told reporters, "I'm cool with it. It's just a vibe. It's a lot of fun."

'Tommy Cutlets'

Speaking of Italian heritage, remember how we mentioned earlier that DeVito still lives at home with his parents? One of the many reasons he chooses to do so is because of good old-fashioned Italian home cooking — which also is the origin of the nickname that's been printed on plenty of T-shirts.

"I don't have to worry about laundry, what I'm eating for dinner, chicken cutlets and all that is waiting for me when I get there," DeVito told ESPN in November. "My mom still makes my bed. Everything is handled for me. Honestly, I don't even know if I could find a place closer to here than where I live."

DeVito's Giants teammates even got in on the nickname. The CW's "Inside the NFL" posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) of Giants running back Saquon Barkley using the "Tommy Cutlets" nickname to describe DeVito during the Patriots game.

Since then, DeVito has leaned into the nickname, even doing a segment for the team's social media arm ranking Italian dishes with Danny Mondello, a TikTok creator from Staten Island who runs an account called "Meals By Cug." 

(DeVito's preferred method of chicken cutlet? According to the video, as a chicken vodka parmesan sandwich.)

By Nick Klopsis

nicholas.klopsis@newsday.com@nickklopsis

Nick Klopsis is Newsday.com's sports editor. He often can be found studying NFL and college football film for his latest draft breakdown.