Sunday afternoon, Michigan’s starting right guard, Zak Zinter, announced that he will be returning to Ann Arbor in 2023. for Michigan football, Zinter’s return is another piece from Michigan’s Joe Moore Award-wining offensive line that will be back for a possible run at the National Championship in 2023.
Zak Zinter at Michigan
Zak Zinter — currently a rising senior — is a two-time All-Big Ten, two-time Joe Moore Award-winner, two-time letterman, and an Academic All-Big Ten selection. Zinter has been an instrumental part of the Wolverines’ success on the field, specifically on the ground. No team has ever won back-to-back Joe Moore Awards until Zinter and the Wolverines did during their 2021 and 2022 seasons.
As a freshman in 2020, Zak Zinter saw action in all six games, making four starts at right guard. A year later, Zinter became Michigan’s full-time starter and has been in this role ever since. In 2021 Zinter saw action in 13 of the Wolverines’ 14 games (made 12 starts) on Michigan’s historic 12-2 Big Ten Championship run. This past season, Zinter earned first-team All Big Ten (consensus), became an academic All-American, helped U-M win the Joe Moore Award again, and started every game during the Wolverines’ 13-1 conference title run.
Zinter is 2-0 in Big Ten Championship games and 2-0 against Ohio State during his time in Ann Arbor. In 2023, Zinter will look to make it 3-0 in both games, and perhaps help Michigan win its first College Football Playoff game.
What does this mean for Michigan football?
First off, seeing as Michigan football is adding three veteran offensive lineman via the transfer portal, the offensive line room is getting a bit crowded. That being said, the Wolverines’ 2023 offensive line got better today with one of the nation’s top guards coming back in 2023.
With Blake Corum and Trevor Keegan also making a return to Ann Arbor this fall, Michigan continues to get more and more dangerous as the season grows nearer. Right now, the Wolverines’ offense is absolutely stacked, and I see no reason that Michigan football should not be an early favorite to win the Big Ten a third year in a row.
