Former Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler was inducted into the Commodores’ Hall of Fame Friday night at the team’s spring game.

Although Cutler’s NFL career has been up and down, he put up big numbers in Nashville. He was a three-year captain and four-year starter, setting Vanderbilt career records for total offense (9,953 yds.), passing yards (8,697), pass attempts (1,242), touchdown passes (59), pass completions (710) and combined touchdowns (76).

“I remember when I first came here. I fell in love with (Vanderbilt) then and I still love coming back today,” Cutler said after the ceremony. “I was really lucky to be around some really good coaches and really good players while I was here.”

Cutler was the 11th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft following his time at Vanderbilt and is entering his eighth season as the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears.

Though known for what some may consider an aloof demeanor, Cutler admitted to getting a little emotional during the ceremony and accompanying highlight video, which was capped with his last pass as a Commodore in 2005 which gave Vanderbilt a win at Tennessee for the first time in 23 years.

“It snuck up on me a little bit,” he said. “I have such fond memories here and have been surrounded by so many people at this university and within this organization.

One could argue that Cutler deserved this honor long before he finally received the call in 2015, but Cutler believes that time passing helped create proper perspective for him.

“I think as you get older you get perspective on things, and this is no different,” Cutler said. “If this would have happened five or six years ago I might not have the appreciation I have for it now.”

You can check out the video of his induction from the SEC Network: