Countdown to Kickoff: Zach Sinor's Heisman Campaign
Oklahoma State has had plenty of special teams players, but one recent punter stands out.
From 2015-18, Zach Sinor became one of the best punters in OSU history. While his impressive play on the field was enough to earn him honors throughout his career, he also campaigned for the most prestigious award in college sports.
Going into the 2017 season, OSU was expected to have its best team since the 2011 season with hopes of winning the Big 12 and making the College Football Playoff. After a phenomenal 2016 season, Sinor decided to put his name in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy. No punter has ever won the Heisman, and the campaign did not exactly have a serious tone, but Sinor’s name was soon on the national stage.
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Sinor’s campaign partially stemmed from his omission as a Ray Guy Award finalist in 2016. In that sophomore season, Sinor had 56 punts for 2,395 yards and led the nation with 35 punts that landed inside the 20. His performance was enough to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors.
Sinor’s campaign officially began at Big 12 media days as he handed out pamphlets detailing his Heisman hopes. He also launched an interesting Heisman campaign website before the season that is still live in 2024.
Despite his best efforts to impress voters by liking cool dogs, Sinor ultimately did not win the most prestigious award in college football. In 2017, he finished with 38 punts for 1,639 yards and ultimately did not live up to his Heisman campaign.
Sinor starred at punter again as a senior and finished his career with 8,228 punt yards to rank sixth in OSU history.
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IVAN WHITE
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.