The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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22 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2025 Jones and Arkansas State put it out there, and the then-unknown kicker made the most of it. "I was actually very happy with where I ended up," he mused. "If you're not a real college football fanatic, you might not know much about Arkansas State. But I got really lucky with the head coach there, Butch Jones. He's a special teams guy. He loves that. They really did a tre- mendous job with me. I don't think I'd be here today without those guys." The former soccer player didn't even start kicking until his junior season in the prep ranks, but he quickly began mak- ing up for lost time. He became a Lou Groza Award semifinalist by nailing 17 of 18 field goals as a college freshman, missing only from 51 yards. He went from a complete unknown to someone who could generate transfer portal interest. But he remained a year away from making that jump, and in hindsight considers that good. "With the portal now, every player has that in the back of their mind, especially at that level," Zvada said. "I know if I'm starting, I can maybe make the jump. "After my freshman year, I made the decision that I wasn't ready. I'm really happy I made that decision, because I don't think I was ready to go play at the next level. You can tell that by my sopho- more season, when I had a decline." His "decline" still featured him mak- ing 17 of 22 attempts, converting all 41 of his extra-point attempts, and scoring a career-high 92 points. Zvada still wasn't sure he'd bolt out of Jonesboro, Ark., for points unknown. He didn't go anywhere during the first portal opportunity fol- lowing the 2023 season, staying for Ar- kansas State's spring practice. But ulti- mately, he made his move. "I put all my chips in my basket," Zvada noted. "I was going to explore what op- tions I had and take my shot. And I did." Zvada considers it good fortune that Michigan special teams coordinator J.B. Brown reached out very early after he'd made himself available. After that, Michigan itself did the rest. "It's Michigan, so you don't really get better than this," Zvada assured. "They're coming off a natty run. I had other opportunities, but once J.B. reached out to me, I didn't really see any- where else I needed to entertain. I was blessed to be here, haven't looked back, and have loved every moment since then. "I fell in love with the town as soon as I got here. They take you to the stadium, and it's just unreal. I went to Schem- bechler Hall and got to meet Sherrone Moore and all the other coaches and some of my potential teammates. It's just a special place, and I really wanted to go here. I knew this was the spot. I didn't want to take any more trips. This is my home." Making the move proved huge. But never underestimate a hearty greeting, when it comes to making the new kid comfortable. That's exactly the dynamic Zvada recalled, involving one of the Wol- verines' established stalwarts. "After that natty run, there were some big names, Donovan Edwards being one of them," Zvada recalled. "It's my second or third day, and I'm just getting used to being here. When you walk in the weight room it's pretty intimidating the first couple of times. I'm thinking, 'Dang, I've got to go lift in this big weight room.' "I'm walking in and all of a sudden, Donovan Edwards walks up, and I'm Zvada (pictured with the Little Brown Jug after the Minnesota game last year) has made 55-of-62 field goal attempts in his three seasons of college football, including 9 of 10 from 50 yards or longer. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL