Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 APRIL 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Lawrence (Mass.) Central Catholic class of 2023 linebacker Preston Zinter committed to Notre Dame Feb. 11. Zinter's public pledge to the Irish came less than two weeks after visit- ing Notre Dame Jan. 29. He has been to South Bend for four recruiting visits, including two trips last summer and the USC game last October. When Zinter saw the Irish knock off the Trojans 31-16 is when he felt in his heart that Notre Dame would eventually be the choice for him. "With that atmosphere and game- day experience, I knew it was the spot to be," Zinter told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I decided to go back up there again [at the end of January] to make sure that it was the right choice, and it sealed the deal. That was it for me." When asked why he picked the Fight- ing Irish, Zinter had a question of his own to ask. "It really came down to why not Notre Dame? It has everything I want," he said. "They're one of the top football programs every year, and it's one of the best colleges academically. Notre Dame has a ton of tradition, and I love the new coaching staff and how much I relate to them. "Coach [Marcus] Freeman is building something special there. I want to be a part of that. The brotherhood and tradi- tion there is unmatched." Zinter informed the Irish staff about a week before his announcement that he would be committing to Notre Dame. "I was on a FaceTime with Coach [Chad] Bowden, Coach Freeman and [now former Irish] Coach [Nick] Lezyn- ski," Zinter noted. "They were super ex- cited and pumped up that I made the decision. They can't wait to have me there." Versatility is the name of Zinter's game. He could play H-back, tight end, weak-side defensive end or at a line- backer spot for Notre Dame. Zinter's position at Notre Dame is far from set in stone just yet. "In talking to Coach Freeman and the staff, they could see me at all three of their linebacker positions," he added. "It'll be all about how I develop when I get there and which spot I'm most com- fortable at. My development will decide everything." Zinter's original plan was to visit a handful of schools in the South in March, including Clemson, Georgia and LSU. The latter two schools had already offered Zinter, while Clemson had been picking up their interest. Those visits are now off, and Zinter is putting the recruiting process behind him. "There's a weight lifted off my shoul- ders," said Zinter, who stands at 6-2, 220 pounds. "Now I can express where I want to be and the school I want to represent. I'm just excited." We're not expecting to see drama and other visits from Zinter. By all accounts, the Irish's newest commit will be locked in with his pledge moving forward. "I'm going to bring a ton of energy and work ethic to Notre Dame," Zinter added. "I'm going to make Fighting Irish fans proud and help bring home a national championship." Zinter is the nation's No. 51 linebacker and No. 469 overall player per the 2023 On3 Consensus. He's also the No. 6 prospect from the state of Massachu- setts. He picked Notre Dame over offers from Boston College, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, USC, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Louisville, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Syra- cuse, Arizona, South Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Massachusetts, Connecticut, UCF, Duke, Nebraska and Rhode Island. Zinter tallied 62 tackles (9.0 for loss) on his way to being named the 2021 Merrimack Valley Defensive Player of the Year and to the Massachusetts Super 26 All-State Team. Notre Dame has nine commitments thus far in its 2023 recruiting class, which was No. 2 in the land per the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings as of March 28. Zinter is the younger brother of Mich- igan rising junior offensive lineman Zak Zinter, who was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE PRESTON ZINTER Notre Dame Beats Out Michigan, Others For Massachusetts Linebacker The 6-2, 220-pound Zinter is a versatile athlete who could play H-back, tight end, weak-side defensive end or linebacker for Notre Dame. PHOTO COURTESY PRESTON ZINTER FILM ANALYSIS "With Preston Zinter, I think you start with the fact he's physically developed and has some positional versatility. He has good size as a linebacker prospect and the coordination and athleticism to play on offense at the high school level [and perhaps even in college] typi- cally bodes well. " The bloodlines don't hurt, either. His brother, Zak, has turned out to be a good player at Michigan early on in his career." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power