Podcast: Michigan postseason honors, Donovan Edwards decision, Juwan Howard / Jon Sanderson situation
On this episode of TheWolverine.com podcast, Clayton Sayfie and Anthony Broome discuss Michigan Wolverines football‘s players who earned national postseason accolades, including senior right guard Zak Zinter, a unanimous first-team All-American, and graduate defensive back Mike Sainristil, a U-M “legend.” They then get into the future of the running back room, before shifting to basketball.
Watch this episode in the video player above or on our YouTube channel. Listen in the embed below or search ‘The Wolverine’ wherever you get your podcasts.
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Sayfie and Broome discussed just how rare of a feat Zinter earning unanimous All-America honors is for a Michigan offensive lineman. The North Andover, Mass., product is Michigan’s 26th-ever unanimous All-American and the fourth in the head coach Jim Harbaugh era, joining senior running back Blake Corum (2022), Aidan Hutchinson (2021) and Jabrill Peppers (2016). The Wolverines have had unanimous All-Americans in three-straight seasons for the first time since a four-year stretch from 1988-91 — defensive lineman Mark Messner (1988), defensive back Tripp Welbourne (1989-90) and wide receiver Desmond Howard (1991).
“One, it’s a big feat for a Michigan offensive lineman, and two, every year over the last three they’ve had this dominant type of player,” Sayfie said. “And you have Zinter with this honor, but also [senior running back Blake] Corum and [junior quarterback J.J.] McCarthy top 10 in Heisman Trophy voting. So, you have some starpower on the Michigan Wolverines teams, and you kind of need that if you’re going to make it this far over the last few years.”
“It’s a big deal,” Broome added. “You tip your cap to Zak Zinter. This has been an offensive line that, to me, when you watch them, they’re a rung or two below what they had been, in terms of that Joe Moore Award quality that they set themselves over the last two years. But Zak Zinter has done his part of the job and then some. He’s a guy that … one of the biggest compliments that you can pay to an offensive lineman is that you don’t hear their name mentioned a ton.”
Zinter is out for the season with a leg injury he suffered in Michigan’s 30-24 win over Ohio State Nov. 25, but he remains a captain and emotional leader of the team.
