I guess I must be caught up in Game of Thrones mania, because I originally typed the title of this post “Zak Winter, Zolverine.” Also, I haven’t watched this current season of GoT, so don’t ruin it for me.
North Andover (MA) Buckingham Browne and Nichols offensive tackle Zak Zinter committed to Michigan on Thursday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Auburn, Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others.
RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 80 grade, #12 OG
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #16 OT, #147 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #28 OT, #332 overall
Hit the jump for more on Zinter’s commitment.
Zinter was offered by Michigan last fall, but I always thought he would end up picking Notre Dame. However, Michigan kept pushing and going hard after him, and the two-horse race turned more and more into a one-horse. Zinter visited Michigan a couple times, including a couple weekends ago, and picked the Wolverines.
Zinter is a large body who looks like he could comfortably dress for an FBS team this fall and not look out of place. As a run blocker, he plays with a nasty attitude, bends well, and finishes blocks; he also does a good job of identifying and working combination blocks. As a pass blocker, he anchors well against bull rushes, and he does a nice job with his hand placement.
On the negative side, Zinter is a little bit limited athletically and does not move well side to side, nor does he have much quickness to pull. He has good technique and identifies his targets well, but more athletic college defenders are going to cause him trouble.
Overall, Zinter is a solid prospect. I think he’s ranked too highly by Rivals, and maybe ESPN and 247 Sports are a little more accurate. ESPN also ranks him as a guard, which I think is more accurate long-term. Zinter could play on the outside because of his length, but his lack of foot quickness will be a liability, particularly in an offense that is less tight end-heavy than it used to be.
Michigan now has seven commits in the 2020 class, including Baltimore (MD) St. Frances offensive tackle Micah Mazzccua. When those two arrive on campus, Michigan will be replacing Jon Runyan, Jr. at one tackle, Ben Bredeson and Michael Onwenu at guard, and perhaps Cesar Ruiz at center, but neither player will be ready to replace them. I would expect both new players to redshirt and wait their turn.
As for the school named Buckingham Browne and Nichols, Michigan has also offered Zinter’s 2022 teammate Tyler Martin, who was 6’2″ and 227 lbs. as a freshman linebacker.
TTB Rating: 76
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Looking at that size, I was hopeful we just landed a Tackle. I’ve read here and from other coaches that he’s a Guard. I’m glad to have another good Guard, but our OL needs Tackles. We’ve got to pull in one potential Left Tackle a year, but what we have is Ryan Hayes (not nearly ready) and… that’s it? A bunch of quality Guards and potential/maybe Right Tackles, but only hope that someone like runyan can ‘get by’ with the help of a TE
Gotta get true pass-pro Tackle types for this thing to come together
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I thought I read some where he will end up at center.
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Speaking of the interior OL – PFF has put up some stats that put Onwenu in the elite of Big Ten pass blockers inside. Puts further doubt on some claims from Rivals insiders putting out negativity about his play.
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I really like his run blocking too. Tough kid who likes contact. Like almost any offensive lineman, it’s really a coin flip if they will turn out to be starters or not. I don’t even like grading them anymore, nor do I care to look at the rankings unless they are a top 50 overall type. He’s big, can run block and has about 2-3 years before he even sees the field, probably as guard (bummer). I thought his high school hadn’t gotten the memo about the forward pass because there weren’t any on the highlights from last year. Magnus must have dug up some other footage but I’m too lazy to search. I think 76 is very accurate for what we’ve seen of him. I would have said mid 70’s myself.
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