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    • Michigan kicker Zvada tries to block out distractions in the game against his former team
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    Michigan kicker Zvada tries to block out distractions in the game against his former team

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    Ann Arbor — Michigan kicker Dominic Zvada stays so focused on the sideline that he always gets a little startled when he steps onto the field for a field goal.

    He hears his name announced to the crowd and then the distance for the field goal attempt.

    “I have to learn to block it out because I heard it (last Saturday) and I was like, ‘Holy crap, it’s that time? I didn’t even know that,'” Zvada said this week, drawing laughter from a group of reporters. “I came off the field and talked to my coach and asked, ‘Was that really a 52-yard kick?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, it was,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ I never really know. I just go out there. For me, it’s the same every time, whether it’s a PAT or a 60-yard kick. Same kick, same attitude.”

    Zvada has completed 5 of 5 throws this season, making three in the season opener against Fresno State, including one from 53 yards and another from 55 yards. He made two throws, including the one from 52 yards, in the Wolverines’ 31-12 loss to Texas last week.

    Michigan’s game against Arkansas State on Saturday at Michigan Stadium will give the Wolverines a chance to rebound from last week’s loss, but it will provide Zvada with the most unique story. Zvada, who started kicking as a 10th-grader in high school in Chander, Arizona, didn’t attract much interest from college recruiters. He was ready to give up football and enroll at Arizona State when he received a walk-on offer from Arkansas State.

    Before his freshman year, Zvada earned a scholarship and played two seasons for the Red Wolves. He was a Lou Groza semifinalist after his freshman year in 2022. He transferred to Michigan before this season, always knowing he would see his former team again in the fall.

    “It’s been in the back of my mind since I committed here in the summer,” Zvada said. “It’s a different game. I have to stay focused and do what I have to do, and that’s perform on the field. But it will be good to see the friends I had again because you build relationships and bonds in two years of college football. It will be good to see them again, but I have to stay focused and focus on what I have to do.”

    Special teams coordinator JB Brown said Zvada kicks on Tuesdays and Thursdays and works on visualization the rest of the week.

    “Dry swings and just imagining himself kicking the ball,” Brown said. “Or he works – like the video game commentary he did the other day – just imagining and putting himself in the position he’s going to be in. I think that helps him stay balanced throughout the process.”

    Before kicking his first kick at Michigan Stadium, Zvada played the EA Sports College Football 25 video game to get a feel for the stadium. He hasn’t played a video game in another stadium yet, but that will happen as Michigan prepares for road games at Washington, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio State, where he made his first college field goal en route to a 4-for-4 performance in 2022.

    “It sounds weird, but when you see the ball go through the posts, something happens in your head,” Zvada said when asked how the video game helps him prepare. “It gives you a little more confidence that it can actually happen in real life.”

    He said he hadn’t played the game recently, but heard his player rating had gone up thanks to five perfect tries.

    “I saw on YouTube someone trying to kick a 100-yard field goal with me,” Zvada said with a laugh. “He had been through something of a hurricane. He just wanted to see if he could do it.”

    After two games, it became pretty clear how far Michigan can go with Zvada.

    “Definitely anything over 50,” Brown said. “We’ve tried some (60-yard runs) in practice. We’ll see how that works in the game when we get the chance. He did it pretty well, so we’ll keep working on it.”

    Brown wasn’t surprised to hear Zvada say he doesn’t always know how far he can get to the basket. He described how some kickers become somewhat unconscious and focus on only one thing – the ball and the goal posts. Zvada said he stays focused during games by constantly stretching and keeping his legs fresh.

    But he doesn’t want to talk to anyone.

    “If you ever see me on the sidelines, I usually try to keep to myself,” Zvada said. “Some of my teammates think I hate them or don’t like them, and I’m like, ‘No, that’s not the case at all. I really like you guys.’ During the game, I just have to stay focused, and when you’re talking to people, it’s easy to lose focus. I like to keep to myself and keep my thoughts in check.”

    Zvada said that a few 10-minute meditation sessions a week helped to relax his mind and visualize things. He seems like a player with ice in his veins.

    “You only have one shot left and that’s all that matters,” he said. “Once you shoot it, it’s gone. Make it or miss, there’s nothing you can do about it. Once I leave the field, it’s over. It’s over. Time for the next shot.”

    Just don’t tell him the distance.

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    @chengelis

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    Caradoc Wyn
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