Andover (MA) Buckingham Browne & Nichols School 2020 four-star offensive lineman Zak Zinter committed to Michigan on Thursday, giving the Wolverines their second verbal commitment up front and one from a prospect we've had listed as a top target for at least six months.

Zinter is a name familiar with most Michigan fans who follow recruiting as he's been on campus four times and earned his offer the old fashioned way at camp last summer. Since then, he has become a top target at lineman as a guy who could play anywhere across the line in college.

His last visit to campus was at the end of March. As a top priority recruit, Michigan has pushed all of the right buttons with Zinter and his family and laid out an excellent unofficial that may have been the tipping point in reeling him in.

“They had two full days planned out,” Zinter told The Michigan Insider's Brice Marich coming out of his visit. “Friday: met with training staff, player development, academics, watched practice, toured the football facilities and the new additions they’re adding, talked with nutritionist. Got to have lunch with offensive line coaches and went bowling and dinner with some of the players and coaches, which was really awesome to really get to know them outside of football. Saturday: had breakfast with offensive line coaches, talked with Coach Warinner about how he thinks I can impact the team and how they think I’m a perfect fit for Michigan. He really likes that I’ve played center, tackle and guard and can be versatile on the line for them. Sat in on offensive line position meetings, talked about the Michigan difference, did photo shoot, spent over an hour with Coach Harbaugh, which was really good talk about how he would love for me to commit and he sees me as a perfect fit too.”

Kevin Sinclair of our Notre Dame affiliate broke down Zinter's play earlier this spring, giving Michigan fans a glimpse of what they're adding to the class:

Zinter plays with great pad level, which is a byproduct of quality knee bend. He plays with a wide base and works to get underneath the pads of his opponent, which is no small feat for such a large young man. There is no lack of want-to or effort with Zinter. He seeks destruction every snap.

Zinter makes it difficult to get off his block. He adheres to the defender, brings his feet with leg drive and upper body strength, and obliterates most of the competition he faces in his section of the country. Zinter also plays defensive tackle. Not surprisingly, he physically overwhelms offensive linemen with the same desire and intensity. He’s a bear to block.

The four-star is the second-ranked player in the state of Massachusetts in the 2020 recruiting cycle. He held offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State and a host of others.

Michigan signed the top recruiting class in the Big Ten for the first time since 2005 in the 2019 cycle, besting Ohio State and Penn State with a top-heavy haul led by five-star safety Daxton Hill and four-star running back Zach Charbonnet among others. It's the third top ten class Jim Harbaugh has signed in his time in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines continue to build a roster that can compete at the top of the Big Ten and on the national stage. The Wolverines currently have seven verbal commitments in the 2020 recruiting cycle, including four-star linebacker Osman Savage and in-state four-star cornerback Andre Seldon among others.

The Wolverines are coming off of their third ten-win season in four years under Jim Harbaugh. However, their November struggles continued in 2018 as they lost their final two games, including a blowout loss to Florida in the Peach Bowl. Most preseason pundits have Michigan among the top ten teams in the country heading into 2019, however, spurred by the return of quarterback Shea Patterson and an offensive unit that will remain almost fully intact.

For a full list of Michigan's 2020 verbal offer sheet, click HERE

For a full list of Michigan's current verbal commitments in the 2020 recruiting cycle, click HERE

For a full list of Michigan's 2019 recruiting class, click HERE