Zinter Earns Academic All-District 5 Honors from College Sports Communicators
11/22/2022 12:00:00 PM
// Dave Ablauf, Chad Shepard
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Offensive lineman Zak Zinter of the No. 3-ranked University of Michigan football team received Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Tuesday (Nov. 22). Being named Academic All-District puts Zinter on the ballot for the CSC Academic All-America team to be announced next month.
Zinter has maintained a grade-point average of 3.549 while studying sport management in U-M’s School of Kinesiology. The North Andover, Mass., native is in his third year academically and was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree last fall in his first year of eligibility. An All-Big Ten (second team) pick in 2021, Zinter has appeared in 30 games with 27 starts in his career.
One of two offensive linemen to start all 11 games this season, Zinter’s physical style has helped U-M develop the nation’s No. 4 rushing offense (243.8 yards per game), the top-ranked run attack in the Big Ten. The run game has totaled 32 rushing touchdowns (No. 5 NCAA) to support the NCAA’s No. 9 scoring offense (39.4 points per game) and help maintain a No. 3 ranking in time of possession (35:07).
In the passing game, Michigan has permitted 12 sacks across 11 games, and Zinter has allowed only one in 311 pass-blocking snaps. The offense has supported the NCAA’s No. 1 (Jake Moody, 122 points) and tied-No. 2 scorers (Blake Corum, 114 points) while propelling Corum (1,457 yards) to be the NCAA’s No. 3 rusher and a Heisman Trophy contender.
Academic All-District teams are selected by College Sports Communicators and recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in academics and athletics. Student-athletes who meet the criteria for nomination must be in at least their second year at their institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 and must have played in at least 50 percent of their team’s games as an important starter or reserve. Zinter is now eligible to be named to the CSC Academic All-America team. First-, second-, and third-team honorees will be named on Dec. 20 after another round of voting.