The Big Ten released its all-conference teams over the past couple days, and here’s a look at the honorees for Michigan:
FIRST TEAM RB Blake Corum (Coaches, Media) C Olu Oluwatimi (Coaches) OG Trevor Keegan (Coaches) OG Zak Zinter (Coaches, Media) DL Mike Morris (Coaches, Media) DL Mazi Smith (Coaches, Media)
SECOND TEAM QB J.J. McCarthy (Media) OT Ryan Hayes (Coaches) LB Junior Colson (Coaches) DB D.J. Turner II (Coaches)
THIRD TEAM WR Ronnie Bell (Coaches, Media) TE Luke Schoonmaker (Coaches) LB Mike Barrett (Coaches)
COACH OF THE YEAR: Jim Harbaugh RUNNING BACK OF THE YEAR: Blake Corum DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Mike Morris KICKER OF THE YEAR: Jake Moody
Name: Zak Zinter Height: 6’6″ Weight: 315 lbs. High school: North Andover (MA) Buckingham Browne & Nichols Position: Offensive guard Class: Junior Jersey number: #65 Last year: I ranked Zinter #12 and said he would be the starting center. He started twelve games at right guard and was named 2nd Team All-Big Ten (media) and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (coaches). TTB Rating: 76
Name: Zak Zinter Height: 6’6″ Weight: 320 lbs. High school: North Andover (MA) Buckingham Browne & Nichols Position: Center/guard Class: Sophomore Jersey number: #65 Last year: I ranked Zinter #79 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He started four games at right guard. TTB Rating: 80
Zinter was supposed to redshirt in 2020 – according to me – but that didn’t work out. He played some special teams in the first couple games, but then Michigan suffered a spate of injuries on the offensive line. Once right tackle Jalen Mayfield got injured, Michigan bumped starting right guard Andrew Stueber out to right tackle and inserted Zinter. It’s noteworthy that Michigan played Zinter rather than a few redshirt freshmen like Trevor Keegan, Trente Jones, Jack Stewart, etc. Zinter played fairly well for a freshman and moved some people, but the line as a whole was a major issue.
This off-season there has been talk that Zinter is Michigan’s best offensive player. Even the coaching staff has suggested as much. That might seem like bluster and hype, but why would Michigan talk him up rather than an older guy who’s captain material or draft-eligible? We’ve been burned by the off-season hype machine before, so I’m not ready to say Zinter is the most important offensive player. I also think Michigan has a fair amount of depth on the offensive line. But if Zinter’s play can match the hype, I look forward to watching him push people around this fall.
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You can take a look back at the awards for the 2019 class if you want (LINK).
Best Overall Recruit: DE Braiden McGregor McGregor lost a little bit of steam in the recruiting world when his senior season ended in a fizzle after a knee injury. That doesn’t put a damper on my excitement for him, though. Michigan does a good job of developing defensive talent – particularly defensive ends – and I expect that to continue with McGregor.
Zak Zinter with other Boston-area Michigan recruits (image via The Wolverine)
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Name: Zak Zinter Height: 6’6″ Weight: 300 lbs. High school: North Andover (MA) Buckingham Browne & Nichols Position: Offensive guard Class: Freshman Jersey number: N/A Last year: Zinter was a senior in high school (LINK). TTB Rating:76 80
Zinter finished the 2020 recruiting class as a 4-star, the #10 offensive guard, and #264 overall. I’m glad he was finally rated as a guard, because early on in his recruitment, he was pegged as a tackle. Zinter graduated in December and enrolled in January, but obviously his time at Michigan was cut short due to COVID-19.
I may have moved him slightly up in the countdown if he had had a full spring session of football practice, but he will come in as basically a summer enrollee. And while he has had time with the playbook and contact with the coaches since he’s officially a college student, that’s not the same as getting reps on the field. I am as impressed by Zinter’s senior film as anyone’s, but I do have concerns about his ability to stay healthy. It seems that guys who are jumbo-sized entering college (Chris Fox, Chris Bryant, etc.) have a harder time staying healthy than the guys who grow into the position, and Zinter is a pretty big dude. Also, if you look at the picture at the top of this post, Zinter’s lower legs taper outward below the knee, which I have concerns about from a structural standpoint for a guy carrying around 300+ pounds.
So . . . I bumped Zinter up from a 76 to an 80 in the TTB Ratings, but my main concern is whether Zinter can hold up physically. As for this particular season, I think Zinter is strong enough that he could come in and play a few games as a garbage time backup, but he shouldn’t burn his redshirt.
