Miami filled one of its biggest needs in the Portal when Indiana C Zach Carpenter transferred to the Canes. Now that he’s already gotten acclimated and gone through spring, Zach joined the CanesInSight Podcast to discuss his transition to Miami and more:
On the spring: It was great. It was a a good opportunity to communicate, build relationships with not just O-line, but all the rest of the teammates and get used to the coaching staff. I’m excited for this fall.
On his decision to come to Miami: I only had one year, so my whole mindset was, "This is a business decision." I wanted to go to the program that would develop me the most in this short amount of time. I think Miami was it. It's O-line centered. They really care about the trenches. It starts up front. So this is the right place for me.
On his athletic background: I played a couple of sports growing up, lacrosse and basketball. But since high school, I've been O-line. I played center, guard, tackle in high school, played center and guard in college. High school is different, but when you have years under your belt at the same position, you get a better understanding.
On his ability to snap with both hands: The season before last year, we were two games in. During warm ups, I tore the UCL on my right hand, which I was a righty. So I had to have surgery.
When I got back, I had a huge club. They taped it up, so I couldn't snap with that hand. I [moved to] guard. But center is my position, so after practice I got 50, 100 snaps with my left hand and started working my footwork. Eventually, I just went in there and started snapping lefty. I still snap lefty now. I can do both. I still work both. I just think it's good versatility.
On the level of football in Cincinnati: Mueller (his high school) was in the GCL. There's a lot of dudes that come out of the GCL and go Power Five, go pro. I think my high school career helped me going into college by facing better competition. We played some good teams and some out-of-state teams. It helps you prepare playing against actual Power Five players in high school.
On Skyline Chili: You either love it or hate it, for the most part. It's a Cincinnati thing. If you grow up there, you're probably going to like it. If you're out of town, you might not. It's not really chili. If you think of chili from Texas or the South, it's not that. But you can do a three way, four way, which the base is spaghetti, chili, cheese, and then you can add onions, beans, whatever. Or they have the coneys, which is what I always go for.
On fishing: It's really just bass fishing where I'm from, or some sunfish. I want to get out in the ocean [in Miami] and catch a big fish. I know they got some peacock bass down here, but I don't know. To be honest with you, I'm a little nervous being around those canals. The gators are going to get me.
On his transition into the OLine room: I didn't want to come in and step on toes. There’s good players here. My job is just to establish the communication. Building that relationship with the line and the communication, that's huge. A lot of times, it’s what’s not said. We all understand what's going on. When we're all on the same page, not much has to be said. When people talk about the chemistry of the offense line, that's what that means. But you have to have a relationship with those guys to build that chemistry. It’s been good. I enjoy being around experienced guys. In the past, I felt like I've had a lot more on my plate. Now it's like I can focus on my job.
Jalen and Coop [Jalen Rivers and Anez Cooper], they're established guys. I really enjoy playing next to them. I know CiCi (Mauigoa) was out, but he'll be coming back. I'll be excited to mesh with him. They rotated a couple other guys in at guard. Whoever it is, we'll get the job done. I think we'll be Joe Moore (award for best OL in nation) contestants for sure.
On whether he opted into the new NCAA game: I never did it. I just feel like it would be too much of a distraction, to be honest with you. I'm here to play football, not video games.
On the source of his physicality: I recently got saved. I accepted Christ into my life, and I think that's helped hugely, not just in football, but the rest of my life by bearing my cross. Life's not going to be easy. We all have work to do. I think having Christ gives you hope. It gives you strength. He was able to get up on that cross and take on the sins of the world. We’re all called to be Christlike.
You're not going to be accepted everywhere you go. You're not going to always have it good. So what are you going to do about it? It's kind of a deep-rooted thing. I don't want to say you have it or you don't, but from my experience, some guys just are not willing to put in that extra work. They're not willing to go the extra inch because, especially at this level, the margin of error is [small]. So any extra thing you can do to get ahead of your competition, that's only going to help you. Everybody’s working out. Everybody's running. But what else can you add to your plate that's going to not only help you, but help the team?
On his hobbies off the field: I play guitar, actually. My whole family is musically inclined, so I've played it since eighth grade. That’s a pastime I enjoy. Anything to do with my hands, anything that is active or being outside, I enjoy. I like going camping. I go shooting and stuff like that. Anything that is going to keep me active. I don't like just sitting around the house.
On his favorite music: I don't just pick a genre. I like good music, whatever that is. If I hear it and I like it, I like it. Some people get indoctrinated in this certain genre or whatever, but I like to keep my mind open and listen to different genres.
I really if I had to pick, one of my favorite genres is 90s grunge. Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam.
On his partnership with Canes Connection: I'm able to have my family come down now. I'm seeing them more, even though I'm farther away, I'm seeing them more now than I was at Indiana, which is kind of crazy. It's great to get out in the community and be able to help people out.
