He’s a fantastic player, even though he’s just a freshman and still young. He has a lot of potential to make game-changing plays, similar to Kalel. You’ll probably see both of them back there at some point. We’ve got a lot of explosive talent, and we’re trying to maximize the use of all our players.
I don’t think we changed direction. We just wanted to distribute the carries more evenly. Jordan has been great—he really impressed against Texas, but he’ll need to keep it up as we progress through the week.
Regarding kick returns this year: We want to stay aggressive. We’ve already seen more returns than in previous seasons, and our goal is to keep being aggressive and create good field position for the offense.
As for Tommy Doman’s punt against Texas, it took an unfortunate bounce because the nose didn’t turn over, causing it to roll backward. It was a bit of bad luck, but we’ll improve.
On Michigan’s field position game this season: I think we’ve been solid overall. However, our punting needs improvement, and that’s on me. I need to get them into a better rhythm, and we’ll work on that.
About Dominic Zvada in practice: He’s a warrior all week long, kicking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He’s always dialed in and prepared, taking his work seriously. In our eyes, he’s a pro—his preparation is exactly how it should be.
As for how Michigan found Zvada: Dom entered the transfer portal, and we were messaging anyone we could. It turned out he was one of the top kickers available, so we pursued him. There was competition to sign him, but we were lucky to land him in the end.
When recruiting him, we relied on his kicking stats at Arkansas State. His personality impressed us, too—he’s calm and composed, with no extremes in his demeanor. That steadiness has translated well for us.
Tommy Doman has shown great promise. He’s done this in previous seasons, including last year. He’s a veteran now, with solid practice habits. My job is to make sure he’s ready to perform on game day.
On Zvada’s use of visualization: He practices dry swings and visualizes himself kicking. He even mentioned using video games to help imagine scenarios. It keeps him calm and focused.
There’s definitely a balance with coaching a kicker. Having played baseball, I understand failure and how to bounce back. Tommy hasn’t failed; he just needs to prove himself every week.
The transfer portal is great for bringing in experienced special team players, but we still love recruiting high school talent to develop. Dom, for example, had already performed on big stages, like going 4-4 in his first game at Ohio State as a freshman.
After the Texas game, we’re focusing on tackling, effort, and angles in the secondary. We teach fundamentals like pad level, staying low, and proper footwork.
When we first saw Zvada kick, there was something special—his kicks had a different sound. Adam, another great kicker, competes with him, and the competition in that room is strong. We have one of the best special teams groups in the country.
Zvada is comfortable from the 35-yard line and can push it further, depending on conditions. We’ve tried some 60-yard kicks in practice, and he’s done well, so we’ll see if that translates to games.
Finally, Hudson Hollenbeck, our backup punter, is developing well. He has a naturally powerful leg, and we’re excited to see his growth as he continues to compete.
