Oklahoma State punter brings fun, Heisman campaign to Big 12 Media Days
FRISCO, TEXAS — Zach Sinor strode across the football field on his way to Oklahoma State’s first media responsibility Tuesday morning — until he beelined toward me. Unexpected for sure. But not nearly as unexpected as what he handed to me. It was a brochure touting the Oklahoma State punter’s Heisman Trophy campaign — and I’m not sure what word is used more loosely, “brochure” or “campaign.”
“This is legit,” Sinor said, standing near midfield at the Ford Center at The Star. “I’m trying to win the Heisman.” He was joking.
I’m pretty sure he was, anyway.
At Big 12 Media Days where no one says or does anything unexpected, Sinor was nothing but unexpected. He was funny. He was self-deprecating. He wasn’t taking football so seriously that he couldn’t
laugh at himself.
Now, don’t misunderstand — Sinor isn’t a joke as a punter. Far, far, far from it.
Despite picking up punting as a lark in high school — he was a quarterback and defensive lineman, once upon a time — he has become one of the most effective punters in all of college football. This past season, he ranked first nationally in opponents’ starting field position, in punts downed inside the 20-yard line and in percentage of punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
Those stats, by the way, came from his brochure.
Also in his campaign literature: a photo of Sinor with a dolphin and the slogan “Animals love him! Opponents hate him!” The white onepage, three-panel brochure featured pictures of him hitting a softball and taking a selfie with his dog, too.
It has a similar, um, feel to his campaign website, Sinor4heisman.com.
Asked about the website, Sinor broke from his I’m-a-serious-Heismancandidate character. “I just used ... ” He smiled and laughed. Easy to see why. The website is straight out of the early days of web design. A starry-night background. A spinning Sinor4Heisman. A dancing baby. (Why it’s there is anyone’s guess.) And a page-visits counter at the
bottom of the page that is turning over faster than the national debt counter.
“I just used a website we did in high school,” Sinor said after composing himself and getting back into character. “It’s not too good. I didn’t put too much time in it.”
Actually, he put no time in it. The OSU athletics department is in on the ruse, and it asked its brilliant and talented graphic designers to do the most beta of websites. Make it so awful that it’s fantastic. And it is.
The whole darn thing is, really.
The Sinor for Heisman campaign originated on Twitter after the Central Michigan game last season. Fans started it, and Sinor has had fun with it ever since, though
Tuesday took things to a whole new level. Sinor changed into a white Sinor 4 Heisman T-shirt, complete with his smiling mug, and handed out brochures during the afternoon’s breakout interview session.
Would he be disappointed if he won the Ray Guy Award as the country’s best punter but didn’t win the Heisman?
“I’m really set on the Heisman right now. It wouldn’t be a disappointment at all, but still wanna win the Heisman.”
How does he plan to become the first punter to win the Heisman?
“Probably going to have to run some fake punts, get some yardage under my belt,” he said. “Maybe run a few fake field goals or something.”
Is there any chance he
might call his own number on a fake?
“Yeah, I’ll watch film and see what they’re doing, and if they show a look, I’m just gonna take off.”
After a big punt, any chance you might strike the Heisman pose a la Desmond Howard?
“I think once I run a fake and successfully do it, I’ll strike a pose.”
And at that, a reporter asked Sinor if he wanted to practice, to strike the Heisman pose right then and there.
Darned if he didn’t do it. “Yeah, hamstring’s a little tight,” Sinor said. “When I’m in a game, I’ll be more warm than that.”
It takes a unique individual to do what Sinor did Tuesday. Clearly, he is serious about what he does — he talked at length
about the hours he spent in his first year at OSU trying to kick footballs into trash cans to learn how to direct and place his punts — but he was willing to have some fun with the lonely kicker narrative.
As a result, he was never lonely Tuesday. There was even a point in the proceedings when he had more reporters at his table than Mason Rudolph and James Washington combined.
“I’m supporting him a hundred percent,” Washington said.
It’s difficult not to. He’s got the fun. He’s got the frivolity. He’s even got the facial hair, a mustache well on its way to full Fu Manchu status.
“Something,” Cowboy linebacker Chad Whitener cracked, “to grab onto for the ride.”