From Floyds Knobs to the National Championship: Zen Michalski’s Unlikely Journey Back Home
Zen Michalski didn’t grow up with visions of hoisting a national championship trophy in an Indiana Hoosiers uniform. Truth is, he didn’t even grow up dreaming about football.
In Floyds Knobs, Indiana, Michalski was a soccer kid first. Football came later - and only because his mom and stepdad gave him a nudge in that direction when he entered Floyd Central High School.
Now, just a few years removed from that push, he’s getting ready to play for a national title - not with Ohio State, where he won one last year, but back home with Indiana, the team he once passed over. And that full-circle moment? It’s as improbable as it is inspiring.
“This was not even fathomable to that 2019 Zen,” Michalski said at College Football Playoff media day. “It’s just amazing, because being so close back to home is awesome for me.”
From Raw Prospect to National Contender
Michalski’s path to this moment wasn’t conventional. He played just one full season on the offensive line in high school - a lanky 6-foot-5, 215-pound project with raw potential.
Indiana saw something early and offered him a scholarship. But once the blue bloods came calling, including Ohio State, he had to listen.
He chose Columbus. And last season, he got to celebrate a national title with the Buckeyes.
But after that championship run, he came home, sat down with Indiana’s new head coach Curt Cignetti, and asked a simple question: Is there room for me here?
Turns out, there was. And now, in one of those rare twists that only college football - and the transfer portal - can provide, Michalski is back in his home state, preparing for another shot at a national title. This time, in crimson and cream.
A Different Kind of Pressure
Having lived in two very different college football ecosystems, Michalski has a unique perspective on what it means to play for a powerhouse versus a program on the rise.
“At Ohio State, you’re expected to win a national championship every year. There’s a lot of pressure,” he said.
“I feel like here we’re very confident in our ability, but there’s less pressure to win and more pressure to play to our ability. And that pressure is a privilege.”
That mindset has served him well this season. He didn’t start the year in the first unit, but when his number was called, he delivered.
His first start came in Week 10 at Maryland, stepping in for the injured Drew Evans. He followed that up with starts at right tackle against Purdue and Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, and even lined up at tight end to open the Peach Bowl against Oregon.
“I just came here wanting to contribute any way I could,” he said. “Tight end.
Right tackle. Left guard.
Whatever they needed, I was happy to do it. Whatever it takes to win this last game.”
That’s where his focus is - the now. Ask him what’s next, and he’ll tell you he hasn’t even thought about it.
“Right now, the timeline in my head really does not begin until, like, maybe Tuesday,” he said. “I mean, this is it.
This is right now. This is the end of my universe.”
Carrying the Flag for Southern Indiana
As the only southern Indiana native on Indiana’s roster, Michalski knows what it means to represent his region on the biggest stage in college football. And he doesn’t take that lightly.
“I really try to stay connected to everybody I can from the area,” he said. “Anybody that reaches out, I always say thank you. I want them to know I appreciate the support.”
It’s more than just gratitude, though. Michalski hopes his journey - from an under-recruited part of the state to back-to-back national title games - can be a spark for others.
“Our area isn’t really a highly recruited area,” he said. “That can be kind of discouraging for some guys.
I just hope that seeing this, and seeing Indiana where we are right now, can give some people hope. And motivation.”
And maybe, just maybe, a kid from Floyds Knobs will see Michalski on that field Monday night and think, Why not me?
If that happens, Michalski will have done more than just play in another title game. He’ll have helped change the narrative for an entire region.
“That would be great,” he said.