Sainristil, Zinter make Sporting News All-America 1st Team

Submitted by Communist Football on December 14th, 2023 at 11:50 AM

Really nice to see 1st-team All-American recognition for Mikey. Zinter made yet another 1st team. Mason Graham made the 2nd team.

Alabama's EDGE Dallas Turner and CB Kool-Aid McKinstry also made the 1st team, with S Caleb Downs, DB Terrion Arnold, and K Will Reichard making the 2nd team.

The commentary:

G: Zak Zinter, Michigan 

Zinter's decision to return for another season was a huge plus for Michigan. The 6-6, 320-pound guard was a key piece on an interior that helped the Wolverines pile up 35 rushing TDs this season. Zinter suffered a season-ending injury against Ohio State, which sparked an emotional 30-24 victory. 

DB: Mike Sainristil, Michigan 

Sainristil was the ultimate right-place, right-time player for the nation's top scoring defense. He had five interceptions and two pick-sixes, but he also had 30 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. He emerged as a heavy hitter in the secondary and an ultimate team leader for the nation's top-ranked scoring defense. 

EDGE: Dallas Turner, Alabama 

Turner has been a three-year starter for the Crimson Tide, and he posted his best season with 50 tackles, nine sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Turner highlighted a 24-10 victory against Ole Miss on Sept. 23 with two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, and he became the consistent driving force for an improved Alabama defense. 

CB: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama 

McKinstry was part of an improved Alabama secondary and emerged as a shut-down cornerback. He limited opposing receivers to just 17 catches and one TD this season – and that was a huge reason why the Crimson Tide made a push to the SEC championship. He's one of three Alabama defensive backs on our first and second teams. 

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othernel

December 14th, 2023 at 11:52 AM ^

Mikey could have transferred when he got the news that WR wasn't in his future. But he stuck with it and proved everyone wrong.

So proud to have him as a captain.

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ShadowStorm33

December 14th, 2023 at 12:01 PM ^

That's the payoff for believing in yourself, as well as your coaches that say you have potential at a different position. He was fine as a receiver, but likely never would have made the NFL had he stayed one. Instead, he's a surefire draft pick as a DB, with some people saying he has fringe first round potential...

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mGrowOld

December 14th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^

Um not sure where you're reading or hearing "borderline 1st round" because every draftnick service I just looked at had him between 3rd - 5th round.  He definitely makes plays but he's small at 5'9' and he doesnt have elite speed.  He's projected to slot corner and they think he'll do well in a zone-heavy defense.

Look, I love the guy too and give two shits about what the NFL thinks of him.  FWIW he's one of my favorite all-time Wolverine for the reasons you listed, heck my absolute favorite Michigan player was Ricky Leach and he never got any time from the NFL.

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ShadowStorm33

December 14th, 2023 at 1:18 PM ^

Wish I could find where I read that, it was just in the past week. The gist of the comment was that despite his height, he has an outside shot as a late first rounder. And maybe it was just a random comment on the board here, but I felt like it came from elsewhere. And it definitely stood out because it was the first time I had heard him mentioned that high.

And just to nitpick a bit, I didn't say he was a borderline first rounder, I said he had fringe first round potential. Which are different things in my mind. To me a borderline first rounder is someone who's consistently projected around the end of the first to the early (or maybe mid) second round. I.e. right around the borderline. Whereas fringe denotes more variance. And I think that's a good way to describe him. The big knock is his height (he'd be a surefire day two pick if he was a couple inches taller), but he plays bigger than his height. So probably a third or fourth rounder (that's where I'd guess he'll go), but every year there are one or more players that get picked a couple rounds ahead of where most seem to think they'll go, and I wouldn't be shocked if Sainristil was one of those flier picks... 

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OuldSod

December 14th, 2023 at 12:26 PM ^

He produced okay as a WR. Is it true he was told WR wasn't in his future?

I thought it was more, "You can stay at WR if you want to. But we see you being able to best help the team on defense. If it works, you will play more snaps. Also, we think you may have a better NFL shot there. With the extra COVID year, that's a year of extra development to help you get there."

I think he would have had the same snaps last year at WR and around 25-30 catches for 300-400 yds. But that may not have been enough to keep a spot for his free COVID (5th) year. I'm not sure he switches, or they ask him to switch, without that COVID year for extra development. It increased the value proposition. 

 

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