Zak Zinter Running It Back For A Shot At National Title

Michigan guard Zak Zinter was once billed as maybe the best overall football player on the entire team by former offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, and that was when Zinter was just a pup. Now, No. 65 is a senior, a potential captain, a veteran and a true leader on Michigan's team — and he knows it.

"Everyone says winning is everything, which it really is," Zinter said on the 5th episode of Those Who Stay. "I strive to push myself. have goals that I set for myself and I push myself to try to reach those. "

When you have a leader, veteran and potential captain with that mindset, the sky is the limit. For Michigan, they have several, and Zinter is perhaps leading the way. He's a massive part of Michigan's success at running the ball and he'll be a key piece along the offensive line that might just win a third-straight Joe Moore Award.

At 6-6, 315 pounds, with a ton of starts and some incredibly impressive film, Zinter absolutely could've skipped his final year of eligibility and tested out the NFL waters. He's a guard, which isn't necessarily the most coveted position, but he's as solid as they come and viewed as a multi-year starter in the league already. Instead, he, along with some good buddies, decided to come back for the 2023 season in pursuit of something special.

"There was a lot that went into my decision to return," Zinter said. "When I talked with Blake [Corum], Trevor [Keegan] CJ [Cornelius Johnson, we all decided that we wanted to come back and win this thing and do it together. 

"We want to beat Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State again; win the Big Ten again and we want to make that next step — win the bowl game and win the national championship."

Zinter has achieved a lot as a Michigan Wolverine and he's got a long NFL career ahead of him, but before he trades in his winged helmet for one that he'll wear on Sundays, he's pushing all of his chips into the middle of the table.

"This is the last year. I'm going to give it everything I have," he said.