Every Tuesday until the season begins TMBR will be counting down the "22 in '22 Wolverines to Watch". These are the twenty-two players with the best chance to make an impact ranked by their potential impact.
THE LIST: #22 DB Will Johnson | #21 OL Zak Zinter
#21 OL Zak Zinter
As a Recruit
Zak Zinter was a Rivals Top150 recruit in the 2020 class. He committed to the Wolverines early in the summer of 2019 over Notre Dame, close to home Boston College, and others. Zinter was a tackle who was projected to play inside but with the potential to develop into an RT. He is the highest rated remaining recruit from the 2020 class.
Career at Michigan
Zak Zinter entered his first season a part of the two-deep, the backup RG behind Chuck Filiaga. It's not often a freshman breaks through on the offensive line, but Zinter would appear in all six games, making four starts in 2020.
Zinter was the favorite to start at RG in 2021 despite Chuck Filiaga returning. As spring and summer camps concluded it became clear Zinter would be one of the five best offensive linemen and the likely starter at RG. Zinter broke his right wrist around two weeks before the 2021 season began. Filiaga would start the first game of the season against Western Michigan, with Zinter wearing a large cast seeing action as the sixth lineman and in some rotations. For the rest of the season Zinter was the starter at right guard.
Zinter was instrumental to Michigan's offensive line winning the Joe Moore Award as best offensive line unit in the country. Zinter himself would be named an All-B1G Second Team selection by the media and receive honorable mention from the coaches.
2022 Expectations
It's hard to imagine expectations being higher for a group that was named the best offensive line in the country, blocked for a top 10 rushing unit that ran for 5.23 YPG and 39 TDs behind only Air Force and Army, and helped win the B1G Championship, but higher expectations are exactly what Sherrone Moore's group faces in 2022.
Developing continuity on the line will be essential to the OL getting even better in 2022. Zinter will have a huge role as he will have new partners on both sides with veterans Andrew Vastardis and Andrew Steuber departing, and Olu Oluwatimi and likely Trente Jones arriving.
Michigan uses a lot of the same blocking techniques Moore used in Oklahoma when he was paving the way for Adrian Peterson. Those schemes often ask a lot of Zinter as Michigan looks to create wide rushing lanes inside the tackles far more often than outside in stretch or sweep.
Zinter is #21 on this list and honestly, I struggled because I wanted to put him higher. Not only is Zinter entering his third year with Hayes and Keegan, expectations he will step up as a leader with two new starters beside him, and potential preseason All-B1G recognition, but Zinter is the lynchpin if the offensive line suffers any injuries. Zinter took snaps at center during the spring game and is likely the backup there if Virginia transfer Olu Oluwatimi would need to step out. Zinter has the length to play tackle and it wouldn't be shocking to see him slide outside in the event of an injury to Hayes, Jones, or Karsen Barnhart.
Zinter feels like a seasoned veteran, but he is only a junior who played a shortened freshman season. I expect him to have a stellar season and become a favorite of analytic services. He may just be Michigan's best offensive lineman and start earning NFL draft-level attention.
Comp: OG David DeCastro Stanford Cardinal / Pittsburgh Steelers
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