As the Wolverines were driving the field to retake the lead in The Game in the third quarter, quarterback J.J. McCarthy hit tight end Colston Loveland for a big first down.
But the celebration was short-lived because right guard Zak Zinter required immediate medical attention. Players who were still downfield took an immediate knee; it was evident something was wrong right away. Ohio State players quickly followed suit.
After the game, Michigan football acting head coach Sherrone Moore said he had just gotten off the phone with Tiffany Zinter, Zak’s mother, and it appeared there was good news. However, a post later shared by Zinter’s mother revealed the injury will be devastating.
Though the team captain will make a full recovery and will be able to play again it seems, he broke both his tibia and fibula and is going into surgery on Saturday night. It is certainly not how he had expected to celebrate a win over Ohio State.
Zak Zinter’s mom says the injured Michigan o-linemen has a broken tibia and fibia. pic.twitter.com/2qy9MgYeyD
— Aaron McMann | MLive Media Group (@AaronMcMann) November 26, 2023
It’s a frustrating and heartbreaking way for his season to end, and quite possibly his college career. Zinter, a senior who arrived in Ann Arbor in 2020, could have gone pro last year, but opted to come back thanks to Valiant Management’s “One More Year Fund,” a name, image and likeness initiative that lured some top players back to the team.