Zak Zinter injury update: Michigan lineman broke tibia, fibula in horrific injury vs. OSU

Editor’s note: Michigan football defeated Ohio State to advance to the Big Ten Championship Game for the third consecutive year.

On Saturday, Michigan’s game against Ohio State took a devastating turn when 2022 second-team All-American and potential first-team All-American offensive lineman Zak Zinter was carted off the field in the third quarter due to a severe leg injury.

Zinter, the anchor of one of college football’s best offensive lines, was taken off while pumping his fist to raucous cheers from the Michigan crowd, and quarterback J.J. McCarthy hugged Zinter’s parents.

TRENDING: Michigan was already motivated against Ohio State. Zak Zinter pushed it over the top.

The entire Michigan team was on the field to send Zinter off:

In an almost cosmic turn of events, Blake Corum scored from 22 yards out on the very next play behind Michigan’s offensive line, giving Michigan a 24-17 lead. Corum celebrated by holding up the numbers “6-5” in honor of Zinter.

According to Ohio State’s radio broadcast, coach Ryan Day also went up the tunnel to talk to and console Zinter’s parents.

Zak Zinter Injury Update
Zinter suffered a serious left leg injury when an Ohio State player collided with him during a block.

He went down and was cared for by the staff while the Michigan football team stood on the field. The Michigan crowd chanted “let’s go Zak.” Zinter was almost immediately ruled out of the game, but the extent of his injury is unknown.

Following Michigan’s win, interim coach Sherrone Moore did not provide a full status update, but he did say he spoke with Zinter’s mother and received “positive news.” There was no indication that Zinter would return for next week’s Big Ten championship game against Iowa or a potential postseason game, but Moore said he believes Zinter will eventually recover.

Update (Nov. 25): Zinter’s mother, Tiffany Cosmar Zinter, announced that her son had broken both his tibia and fibula as a result of the play, and that he was undergoing surgery. She also revealed that Michigan players FaceTimed him from the locker room while he was in the emergency room.

Update (Nov. 25): Zinter announced on X, formerly Twitter, that the surgery was successful and that he looks forward to seeing the team in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.

Zak Zinter’s NFL draft projection
Zinter is regarded as one of the best offensive linemen in the country, but his standing as a guard rather than a tackle is somewhat diminished.

Prior to his injury, Zinter was considered a potential fringe first-round pick, with The Athletic’s Diante Lee predicting him to the 49ers at No. 32 last month. The extent of his injury will most likely determine how viable that remains, but a team with the ability to invest in him may still select him in the early rounds if the injury is as severe as feared.