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Michigan fans are well aware of the Northeastern pipeline the football program has exploited during Don Brown’s tenure. They’ve taken advantage of an under-scouted area to unearth some major contributors.
The next player in the pipeline could soon be Massachusetts 3-star offensive tackle Zak Zinter, who made his third trip to Ann Arbor this past weekend. He also worked out multiple times with the staff during the camp circuit in June. Zinter spoke with Maize n Brew about the experience.
This may have been Zinter’s third trip to Michigan, but it was his first time seeing a game. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound tackle was enthusiastic about the atmosphere and the fans.
“What an awesome experience between the energy of the game and how the fans just love their Michigan football. All of my recruiting visits and games that I’ve made have been awesome. But it’s hard to beat out 111,000+ screaming fans,” Zinter said.
His visit involved much more than just watching the game. Zinter got the chance to talk with several coaches and take part in some other pregame festivities.
“Had a great opportunity to talk to coach (Jim) Harbaugh, coach (Ed) Warinner, coach (Ron) Prince, coach (Brandon) Blaney, coach (Patrick) Kugler and coach (Don) Brown, he said. “Talked Michigan football and how I can fit in on the offensive line and be a great part of the team and family.
“This was my moms first visit out to Michigan so we had another great tour of the facilities. They did a photo shoot, got to spend a good amount of time with the different coaches and do all the pregame field time.”
This was Zinter’s mother’s first visit to Michigan. He says she “really liked the visit,” but has “liked all of my visits” before as well.
Besides Michigan, Zinter has also taken visits to Stanford, Notre Dame, Boston College and he’s headed to Penn State in a few weeks. The junior tackle says he wants to take even more, but his football schedule makes it tough.
“(I’m) hoping to get to more, but my football schedule plays mostly Saturdays. So after season I plan to make more visits,” he said. “But I’m not ruling out any of my offers, trying to get to as many as I can because honestly they are all great colleges.”
If you can’t tell from the group of schools above, Zinter says he’s “looking for a high academic college that plays really good big time football.” He currently holds offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Boston College, Duke, Northwestern, Purdue and Tennessee.
With all the schools looking at him and plenty of visits to plan, the recruiting process can be overwhelming. But Zinter isn’t sweating it. He has a good attitude and is enjoying the experience.
“Just trusting the process man. Been very blessed with incredible opportunities.” he said.
Zinter said a decision is still too far away for him right now, but I believe Michigan continues to impress the talented junior. With the immense strides Warinner has been making with the offensive line this season, it’s hard not to be intrigued.