North Andover's Zak Zinter A 2nd-Team Academic All-America At Michigan

ANN ARBOR, MI — The honors keep rolling in for North Andover native and University of Michigan offensive lineman Zak Zinter, both on and off the field.

On Tuesday, Zinter was named second-team Academic All-America by the College Sports Communicators. Zinter, a junior, has maintained a cumulative 3.549 grade-point average while studying sports management in Michigan's School of Kinesiology.

According to the criteria for the award, student-athletes are eligible if they are in at least their second year at their institution, have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or above, and have played in at least 50 percent of their team's games as an important starter or reserve.

Zinter certainly checks all those boxes.

The 6-foot-6, 315-pound right guard started all 13 games for the No. 2 Wolverines (13-0), who will face No. 3 TCU (12-1) in the Dec. 31 Fiesta Bowl, which is the national semifinal.

Zinter, who prepped at Buckingham Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, was named All-Big Ten Offense First Team by the coaches and the media.

Collectively, the UM offensive line earned the Joe Moore Award, given each year to the best offensive front. It was the second straight year the Wolverines O-line won the honor — Zinter also was a key piece of the 2021 O-line — marking the first time a team has won the award in back-t0-back years.

Zinter, who published a children's book with two fellow offensive linemen last spring, said he believes the 2022 offensive line is better than its predecessor.

"We were a good line last year, but I think we're a great line this year," Zinter said at a Nov. 8 press conference. "(Offensive line coach Sherrone) Moore does a great job developing us and helping us dominate on Saturdays.

"We've been banged up in a couple of spots, and the way our backups have come in and filled the shoes and kept up to our standards, I do think we were better than we were last year."

It's hard to argue with the numbers.

The Wolverines are ranked No. 6 in the nation in rushing offense (243 yards per game) and are the top rushing attack in the Big Ten. They have the No. 7 scoring offense (40.1 points per game), are No. 2 in the nation with 38 rushing touchdowns, and have allowed just 13 sacks in 13 games.

Individually, Zinter has allowed just one sack in 361 pass-blocking snaps.

Preston Zinter Signs

Zinter is not the only family member enjoying a special week. His younger brother Preston Zinter, a standout senior defensive lineman at Central Catholic, signed with Notre Dame Wednesday on National Signing Day.