For this talented and tenacious American teenager, the joy of sports that he´s felt throughout his life has served as a stepping stone for what has quickly evolved into a pop culture phenomenon.
Zach Hirsch, widely known online as Mystic Zach, is not only an influential digital celebrity but he is also know for being the most accurate young sports analyst and handicapper in the world. Last season at only seventeen years old, Zach picked over 90% of all football, basketball and combat sports correctly. Amazingly he picked 21 straight college football games correctly including the SEC Championship, the College Semi-Finals and the National Championship Game. He has predicted hundreds of boxing, MMA and most recently BKFC Bareknuckle bouts correctly in addition to accurately calling the last four NFL Super Bowls.His success has translated into a massive Instagram® following – over 350,000 strong – and a burgeoning line or exclusive apparel. Mystic Zach has also been recognized by some of the most iconic sportsmen of all time as a virtuoso handicapper with an effortless winning personality.
Mystic Zach himself recently shared the inside scoop with us:
How old were you when you first started picking sports results and what was your first pick?I’ve been memorizing sports scores and stats from as far back as I can remember – maybe four or five years old. When I was about 10, my father and I both filled out a $5 weekly football pool card at a local business with about a hundred other entrants. The next time we stopped in, we found out not only had I won the $500, but that I'd picked 15 out of 15 games.
Where did the idea for iPickWins come from?
I knew I wanted to do something in sports and use my gift as a handicapper to build a following. I thought iPickwins was a great way to do both. I went undefeated in my first three weeks of picking NFL games, College Football, boxing, MMA and somehow even picked Rafael Nadal to win the 2019 Open at the onset of the tournament in a 128-player draw that included Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. These picks caught the attention of social influencers worldwide.
Who are some of your most well-known followers?
Some of my most famous followers include former NFL rushing leader Clinton Portis, Social Media Superstar Jake Paul, Two-Time Heavyweight Champion of the world Shannon Briggs and several other former NFL players, and World Boxing Champions.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Analytics, especially in football. I like the commonly used stats like EPA (efficiency play average) as well as formulas I created like ATA (a coach’s ability to adjust). Andy Reid had the highest ATA in the league, Kyle Shanahan was average and, to me, that was the difference in the Super Bowl this year.