Tag: Zak Zinter

Top OL prospect suffers serious leg injury

Top OL prospect Zak Zinter of Michigan suffers serious leg injury

One of the top interior offensive line prospects for the 2024 NFL draft suffered a serious injury in the final weekend of the college regular season. Michigan offensive guard Zak Zinter went down early in the Wolverines’ rivalry game win over Ohio State.

Zinter suffered a broken tibia and fibula when he got rolled up from behind while run-blocking. His left leg was placed in an air cast and Zinter left the field on a cart.

Generally projected in the 50-100 overall range prior to the injury, it remains to be seen how the nasty broken leg impacts Zinter’s draft stock. The All-American and team captain will miss the postseason workout circuit. The typical recovery time for an injury like his carries a timeline of 7-to-9 months. At the most optimistic, that pushes Zinter out until at least the onset of training camps.

Zak Zinter injury suffered vs. Ohio State revealed

Prayers for Zak! #GoBlue

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.

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.

Blake Corum runs for TD play after Michigan loses star OL Zak Zinter

Michigan goes up on Ohio State a play after losing star lineman Zak Zinter

One never knows how a team will respond to seeing a teammate injured in any game, let alone “The Game.”

On Saturday, Michigan offensive lineman Zak Zinter suffered a leg injury and was on the field for an extended period before being taken off on a cart.

How would the Wolverines react in a game that was tied with Ohio State at 17 in the third quarter?

J.J. McCarthy gave the football to Blake Corum on the next play and the running back was off to the end zone.

The 22-yard run and PAT put the Wolverines up 24-17 as the battle for the Big Ten East headed to the fourth quarter at The Big House.

Zinter was taken to University of Michigan Hospital for further evaluation.

Michigan football OL players ready to take on challenge of improved Ohio State D-line

Run. The. Dang. Ball! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — After 2021, when Michigan football ran, ran, and ran some more on Ohio State in the second half of The Game, head coach Ryan Day knew he needed to make some changes. He brought in Jim Knowles to oversee his defense, and while he made the Buckeyes tougher up front defensively, the result ended up being the same in 2022.

Thus far in 2023, Ohio State’s defense has been particularly stout, coming in second in the country in scoring defense and not allowing much from opposing offenses. Teams can run, but not much. Plays can be had, but they’re not long. So, for Michigan, if it’s to win against its rival on Saturday, it will need to play more like it did in 2021 up front, because OSU doesn’t let you get much.

“It’s definitely a front seven that plays well together,” senior left guard Trevor Keegan said. “They’re stout, they’re athletic. And they’re playing good ball. Really good with their hands, really good technique-wise. It’s definitely a challenge. And we’re excited for it. Obviously, this game, the jerseys that they’re wearing heightens our preparation. So, are we prepared?”

The Buckeyes have several key players up front, particularly on the defensive interior. Tackle Tyleik Williams is the star, but Mike Hall Jr. and Ty Hamilton have also been a lot to contend with. On the edge, Jack Sawyer and J.T Tuimoloau have taken big steps forward year over year.

For right guard Zak Zinter, the offensive line will need to be a bit more cohesive than it has been over the past three weeks if the run game and pass protection is going to have success against the scarlet and gray.

“They’ve got good guys inside and on the edge,” Zinter said. “So we just got to do what we do — focus on little details, feet in the ground, get hands-on, don’t allow too much space. So they’ve got some twitchy guys up front for sure.”

Statistically, Ohio State isn’t much better at run defense than it was a year ago, moving up from No. 26 to No. 21 thus far, but it is allowing 20 fewer yards per game from 2022. Still, Zinter is confident that some of the things that Michigan has in store for the Buckeyes will be successful and that the Wolverines will find some advantages.

“They definitely changed some things on defense so shore it up a little,” Zinter said. “Some gaps schemes here and there but we’re gonna find different ways to attack them and I’m sure they’re gonna have something new for us as well.”

Run game vs. Penn State preparing Michigan football for Ohio State

It’s time for a healthy Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards to shine. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The difference between the Michigan football rushing offense between the past two years and this year has been stark. The Wolverines had the 15th-rated rushing offense in 2021 and fifth-best ground attack in 2022. However, in 2023, it’s been middling at No. 50 overall.

There are several reasons for this. One, teams have loaded the box after witnessing TCU stymying the rushing attack in the 2022 College Football Playoff semifinal, and decided that forcing quarterback J.J. McCarthy to beat you is the path of most resistance. Two, both Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards are coming off of injuries and neither has quite looked as dominant. Three, the new-look offensive line hasn’t been quite as cohesive as the previous units — though it’s had its moments.

But a change came against Penn State, when Michigan ran 46 times for 227 yards (4.93 yards per carry). Though still shy of the 2022 averages, it’s right in line with the type of performance that was customary in the previous two years — and ranked the second-best rushing performance of the year.

Against Ohio State on Saturday, Michigan knows it must run the ball and it must do it well to win. And given what happened against Penn State and the then-best rush defense, the Wolverines are confident they’ll be able to make some headway against the Buckeyes in a similar fashion if needed.

“I think I said it to you guys one point — we have to probably run the ball to win the game at some point,” senior right guard Zak Zinter said. “I think we’re able to do that and (it) just gives us confidence to build off of. We made a lot of mistakes that game (Penn State) as well so just something for us to build off of as we go through the week.”

So what will it take for Michigan to be able to run well against the Buckeyes?

Will it take energy up front? Vision and patience by the backs? Speed, misdirection, different schemes than what Ohio State is used to? J.J. McCarthy and his legs? Likely, all of the above, and then more, Zinter says.

“I think a little bit everything,” Zinter said. “Going into that game we know we got to get the run game going. So we get the run game going, it can open up the pass game, can make everything a whole lot easier. As an O-line, we know that going in the game and definitely the energy is gonna be there you know, fans are gonna be on our side and going crazy. So I think it’s a little bit of everything.”

Last year, Ohio State entered The Game with one of the best rushing defenses in the country, but, after a slow start, Michigan managed to carry the ball 35 times for 252 yards — bolstered by 75-yard and 85-yard touchdown runs by Donovan Edwards.

The Wolverines showed promise against Penn State in Week 11. Now they’ll need to step it up that much more in Week 13.

What will Michigan football do if the pass protection struggles against Ohio State?

It has to be better in this one. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Thought to be Michigan football’s biggest strength the past two-plus seasons, the past few weeks haven’t been quite as strong in one aspect along the Wolverine offensive line.

Though there have been some lapses all season in both the run game and in pass protection, the pass protection has particularly struggled in games against Penn State and Maryland. In Happy Valley, on the first pass attempt, when star Nittany Lions edge rusher Chop Robinson used a speed move on right tackle Karsen Barnhart, it appeared that it wasn’t going to be a productive day for quarterback J.J. McCarthy as the signal caller found himself scrambling and caught from behind for a sack. Barnhart had to move to the left side late against Maryland, and similar issues ensued.

Senior right guard Zak Zinter says he’s not worried about his teammate to the right, knowing he’s fully capable. After all, Barnhart has played in The Game before and has been mostly solid in his career.

“Just tell him to be him. Everyone has a bad rap here, there — everyone’s got a bad game, a rep you want back here and there,” Zinter said. “I mean, that’s every game as an offensive lineman. You get beat sometimes, too. Those guys are D-I athletes, too, on the other side. I think it’s just part of the game — just tell him to be him.”

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but Barnhart did not play well in The Game a year ago, according to PFF. Usually checking in with solid grades, the only exception beforehand coming against Nebraska, Barnhart posted a season-low 5.0 in pass blocking against the Buckeyes. That’s 5.0 out of 100. His only worse game as a starter was the aforementioned game against Penn State when he posted a 0.0 grade on 11 dropbacks.

Senior left guard Trevor Keegan insists that the road environment is what caused the problems and that the friendly confines of The Big House should solve some issues. But any other issues, he says, will be cleaned up this week during practice.

“Obviously, pass protection, we haven’t been as crisp and clean,” Keegan said. “You can say what you want about the Penn State game. We couldn’t hear the cadence. So anybody could be put in a bad spot there. But that’s not an excuse.

“But yeah, we’re going to crisp things up. And we know that this is a huge game for us. And as you see the last 20 years, this game is dependent on the trenches and whoever can rush the ball best. So, we know that’s really important for our unit, and we gotta take full advantage of that.”

But what happens if the Buckeye duo of Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau manage to get the best of the pass protection — anywhere on the line? Zinter says that Michigan has some cards up its sleeve.

“Just doing what we do,” Zinter said. “They brought another pressure, we’re getting the pressure off the edge. We got some different things that we’ve been adding in to shore things up for sure.”

We’ll know more come Saturday at 12:17 p.m. EST when The Game kicks off.

Michigan football players: A loss to Ohio State on Saturday would render 2023 season worthless

Just beat Ohio State. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For both Michigan football and Ohio State, everything is on the line Saturday when the undefeated teams face off for The Game. The winner will advance to the Big Ten Championship Game to face Iowa and will have an inside track to a top two seed in the College Football Playoff semifinals — the last time it will be a four-team invitational. The loser will miss out on the former and almost certainly the latter.

Considering the ‘championship or bust’ mentality in Ann Arbor all offseason, losing is not an option for the Wolverines.

With a weak nonconference schedule and having only faced one ranked team in Penn State thus far, Saturday provides an opportunity to show that the early-season dominance wasn’t just beating up on bad teams, but that it was just evidence of who the Wolverines have been all along. Given all of the off-field allegations surrounding the maize and blue, a win would also silence many of Michigan’s critics — many, but not all.

For senior left guard Trevor Keegan, this game is so paramount in importance, a loss would completely erase any good things that took place in those games that precede The Game.

“We think about that every day. This is a game that we prepare for. We don’t win this game, the season doesn’t matter,” Keegan said. “All of our goals are right there in front of us, we want to go the national championship, we want to win the Big Ten championship. And we’ve got to beat the team down south in order to do that. So I mean — most definitely.”

Michigan entered the season with five goals, in this order: beat Michigan State, beat Penn State, beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten, win the national championship. The first two have been accomplished, but neither of the latter two can be accomplished without the middle one, which is arguably the most important of the five.

The Wolverines don’t want to settle for a New Year’s Six bowl game, they want to make their third straight College Football Playoff appearance. Sixth-year linebacker Michael Barrett echoed Keegan’s sentiments while noting the importance of The Game in this moment.

“That’s kind of every season. We always know we got that big one at the end of the year that kind of matters more than the rest of them,” Barrett said. “We’ve had our goals from the beginning. And we’ve knocked them all off. And they’re the next team in a way. So if we don’t win this game, then yeah, like our season pretty much be over.

“We can’t get our next goal without getting to this one, without over getting over this one. So yeah, I could agree with that.”

Senior right guard Zak Zinter noted, like Barrett, it’s one of many goals for the maize and blue. And now that it’s here on Michigan’s doorstep, it’s time to scratch it off the list.

“It’s just one of our goals that we’ve had all year,” Zinter said. “Beat Michigan State, Penn State, the next one’s up. So we’re gonna do everything we can do that.”

Michigan football has a team within its team and it’s serious business

This is amazing and hilarious! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Every team has its quirks, the things it does behind closed doors that may seem a little unconventional to fans. It could be a tradition, the way the personalities operate in the locker room, or — if your Michigan football — it’s having a separate team within the team.

Before the Ohio State game in 2022, a couple of Michigan offensive linemen were hurling the ball downfield, playing catch, but it wasn’t quite as innocent as it appeared. It was essentially a practice because the offensive line has their own 7-on-7 football teams. As they prepared for the Buckeyes, those who participated quipped about their prowess passing downfield, noting they have some experience. Perhaps it wasn’t quite as known that they’re quite serious about said experience.

This year, the teams are captained by guards Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter, and like their broader team, they’ve played four games against each other. But offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore has had to establish some ground rules, because the level of seriousness in their Friday scrimmages could have been somewhat catastrophic.

“It started in 2021, when I first started coaching the O-line,” Moore said. “And just came out and one day they were throwing the ball around, and then they just wanted to play 7-on-7. And like you see them, they’re huge, they’re children! They’re literally kids.

“And they rave about these games on Fridays. And I had to temper down and make rules and change rules. Because I mean, it got out to — I mean, the first day, Myles Hinton’s out there, he’s diving on the ground. So there’s a no diving rule, jumping rule now, you can’t jump out the cylinder, you can’t go above 75% of the speed. But it’s an awesome deal, just let’s their minds go be free, have fun, before we get to focus on a Friday. So we do that every Friday. They enjoy it. They love it and I can’t take it away. So they do a really good job with us.”

So who is the best player? Which team is getting the better of the other?

One of those aforementioned players who was proud of their ability to throw downfield is now gone, and he was apparently their best player, Moore says. But, at the moment, it’s a somewhat lopsided affair, with Keegan’s team getting the better of Zinter’s thus far.

“I mean, probably the best player overall in the past few years has been Ryan Hayes,” Moore said. “Ryan Hayes was elite. Last year, no one could cover him, he won MVP.

“This year, it’s been a back-and-forth battle, team Keegan is up to two-to-one right now. against team Zinter. So those are the two teams. So we’ll see what happens this week. Actually, it’s three-to-one. So team Zinter’s gotta go a little bit to get this thing going.”

Keegan is the quarterback for his squad, while tackle Karsen Barnhart is the QB for Zinter’s team.

Were Michigan football OL, run game struggles indicative of future problems?

There are multiple reasons not to panic.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — On paper, Michigan football has the best running back duo in the country. But on Saturday, East Carolina came into The Big House with a good game plan and slowed Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.

Now, this is no reason to panic. Last season, all the Wolverines did was run the ball and everyone was worried if the Wolverines could throw the ball. We saw how that panned out late in the season against Ohio State in Columbus. In the season opener, the running back duo still produced 110 yards on the ground, and Michigan didn’t need the running backs to take over the game.

Instead, Roman Wilson made a statement on Saturday with three touchdowns and 78 yards receiving. Michigan football showed it can have a balanced offense, but did East Carolina show future Michigan opponents a game plan on how to slow Corum and Edwards?

With two starters from last year no longer on the team, Michigan is reloading on the offensive line, and the only locked-down starters are Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter. On one hand, it seemed the front five lacked the chemistry to create holes for the running back or to push the defensive line from the snap of the ball. But the Pirates also loaded the box, desperate to keep the Wolverines from running the ball. They dared McCarthy to beat them through the air.

“To their credit, they were putting 11 guys up there and trying to stop the run,” acting head coach Jesse Minter said after the game. “And so I thought, as the game went on, we did a really good job just sort of taking what was there, taking what they gave us. I think for the most part through three quarters, we really played the game on our terms, on our tempo, we controlled the ball, at times with the passing game, at times with the running game.”

Regardless if other teams adopt this method in the future, given Michigan’s nonconference schedule, it will have the ability to figure out the best five starters on the offensive line. Then, success in the run game will follow, or the Wolverines will be able to pass over top like they did on Saturday. Additionally, while the line works on building chemistry, it will also build depth, which is important to any team that is hoping to compete late in the season.

Another reason not to panic about the offensive line is it was solid in pass protection, keeping J.J. McCarthy upright all game long, and allowing no sacks. Even though neither running back broke 100 yards rushing on Saturday, it felt like they didn’t need to. The Wolverine offense did all of their damage though the air and while the defense was pitching a shutout until East Carolina kicked a field goal as time expired.

Michigan will have two more games to figure out who their starters will be up front and if they are still getting pushed around when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights come to Ann Arbor in Week 4, then that might be a small cause for concern.

But the Wolverines will be just fine and by then, Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore will both be back on the sidelines.

Michigan football offensive linemen give thoughts on Reece Atteberry move to defense

Can’t wait to see if the move pays off! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For the most part, Michigan football’s big positional moves came during spring ball. Jim Harbaugh has been long known as a tinkerer, and sometimes his moves have worked wonders — whether it’s Jabrill Peppers playing multiple positions across all three phases, Chase Winovich moving from tight end and H-back to defensive end, and more recently, Mike Sainristil from wide receiver to nickel back.

The jury is out on Amorion Walker from receiver to cornerback, as well as the move made late last year of linebacker Kalel Mullings to running back. The only obvious failure was fullback Ben Mason to 3-technique — he moved back to fullback after a few games.

But during fall camp, one move went under the radar, discovered only because of a picture Michigan football posted on X, formerly known as Twitter — Reece Atteberry from offensive guard to defensive tackle.

The move surprised some of his teammates in the room just as much as fans, as Zak Zinter recounted last week.

“I came into the building and I was like, ‘Reece — where’s Reece? He’s not sitting behind me in meetings anymore,” Zinter said. “But I think it’s been a great change for him. He’s learned the defense really quick. He’s been getting a lot of reps. And he’s a big dude to move. He’s strong, too. So I think it’s gonna be a good move for him.”

Atteberry is currently working up the depth chart, as there are several players currently ahead of him. That means he hasn’t necessarily gone one-on-one with some of his compatriots on the offensive line — such as Trevor Keegan — but Keegan has seen Atteberry on film and thinks there’s real potential there.

“No, I haven’t. But, we’ve been watching him on film, obviously,” Keegan said. “And for his first week, he’s done really, really well. It’s been really impressive. Him just taking a combo block with his leverage, like, it almost looks natural to him in some ways. It’s been really impressive what he’s done.”

Will fans see Atteberry working on defense right away in 2023? We’ll know more on Saturday when the Wolverines open up the season against East Carolina. The game will kick off at noon EDT from The Big House and will be streamed live on Peacock.

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