Michigan football's new kicker picked up right where his predecessors left off.

Junior Dominic Zvada was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and made three extra points to account for 12 of Michigan's 30 points in the season-opening win over Fresno State. Zvada, a transfer from Arkansas State, looked like the natural successor for James Turner, last year's kicker, who received the baton from Jake Moody.

Zvada made field goals from 43, 53 and 55 yards respectively. He kept putting points on the board for Michigan as the offense struggled to push drives deep into Fresno State territory. Zvada's nine points on field goals came between Michigan's only two offensive touchdowns, allowing the Wolverines to have a cushion as new starting quarterback Davis Warren and the offense unraveled some kinks.

"He's a dawg," defensive end Josiah Stewart said unprompted.

SHAWN WINDSOR: Hey Michigan football fans, give your team a break. A natty is nice, but this isn't 'Bama.

Zvada warmed up with an extra point after Michigan's early touchdown, then closed the first half with a field goal from 43 after Michigan ran the ball three straight times to no avail inside the Fresno State 30-yard line with less than a minute left. Michigan's first drive in the second half seemed promising, but a holding call against left guard Josh Priebe ultimately killed the drive at Fresno's 35. Zvada trotted out for his first attempt of more than 50 yards as a Wolverine —and split the uprights with yards to spare.

"Zvada — he's been kicking it so well all camp," Warren said. "We've been yelling his name every time he drills one in practice. It's fun to watch him kick the ball and to know once we get into his range, we're guaranteed points so that falls on me. I gotta do better about taking care of the ball there."

What exactly is Zvada's maximum range after hitting from 55 yards out Saturday night? His longest career kick was a 56-yarder as a freshman at Arkansas State in 2022.

"I try to tell them the 37, 38-yard line — that's just kind of the baseline," Zvada said. "But depending on the circumstances, I can go back to 60. The farthest I've ever kicked it was 65. That's with a little wind."

He came to Michigan with a track record of reliability and distance, making 34 of 40 field goals at Arkansas State. Zvada said he has formed a great relationship with Turner, who spent the summer in Ann Arbor when not trying out for NFL teams, and got to meet Moody to learn about the expectations for a Michigan kicker.

"Both of them are just awesome dudes and they did everything, totally answered every question I had," Zvada said. "So, (I) love them and got to thank them."

Zvada's points created a cushion for Michigan, which did not have a drive longer than 47 yards until its final touchdown march in the fourth quarter.

"I've been here (and) we had Moody and we had James Turner and now we have Zvada," Warren said. "They are all unbelievable. So it's a big part of our team."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kicker Dominic Zvada shows off range, reliability in Michgan debut