North Andover's Zak Zinter Stars At Michigan, Writes Children's Book

ANN ARBOR, MI — The University Michigan football team has had a storybook season, so perhaps it's appropriate that a few of its star players — including North Andover native Zak Zinter — have teamed up to write a children's book.

The Wolverines are 13-0, currently ranked No. 2 in the country, and will face TCU on Dec. 31 in the Fiesta Bowl, which is a national semifinal.

But last spring, Zinter, a standout junior right guard, and two offensive linemates — Trevor Keegan and Ryan Hayes — published a children's book called "The Men Up Front."

The book, the first from Exit 56 Publications, tells the story of the three players, with input from their parents. The trio was part of the offensive line that won the 2021 Joe Moore Award, presented annually to the best offensive line unit.

The 34-page book sells online for $20 and the money goes to the players, something that is now legal for college athletes after the NCAA began permitting them to benefit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) last year.

The book was published on April 1, 2022, and launched at Michigan's Spring Game, where the players signed copies for local kids.

"(The kids) were so excited," Tiffany Zinter, Zak's mother, said after watching her son sign several books. "(After getting Zak to sign) they had all three signatures now. It was so awesome to see the joy and excitement on their faces."

The players might need to add a few more pages to the book to include the story of the current campaign. The highlight of the Wolverines' season came on Nov. 26 when Michigan beat Ohio State 45-23 in Columbus.

Zinter, the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder who attended Buckingham Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, has been a major factor in the team's success.

On Nov. 29, Zinter was named honorable-mention for the Pro Football Focus (PFF) All-America Team. A day later, Zinter was named to the All-Big Ten First-Team by both the coaches and the media.

Zinter and his Michigan teammates then went out this past Saturday and defeated Purdue 43-22 in the Big Ten Championship Game, solidifying their spot in the College Football Playoff for a second straight year.

Michigan lost to Georgia 34-11 in last year's semifinal matchup. But Zinter said he hopes the Wolverines can use that disappointment to help fuel their run to a national title this winter.

"We got there, and it really hurt losing in the playoffs," Zinter told the Detroit News. "So we've definitely got a chip on our shoulder and we don't want to feel that again."