Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 69 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER Three of the four major recruiting websites list Preston Zinter as a three- star prospect. ESPN has him as a four- star player but ranks him at tight end, a position he's not expected to play in college. Pop on his film, and Zinter is a ball- hawking, sideline-to-sideline linebacker who also excels at getting after the quar- terback. Look at his offer list, and you see powerhouse programs such as Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, LSU and Southern Cal. He was uber- productive at the prep level as well, be- ing on the Massachusetts first-team all- state defense as a junior and senior. But Zinter remains overlooked. Not by Notre Dame, though. "It's cool to have all the stars and pub- licity, but at the end of the day, all that matters is what you show on the field," Zinter said. "You have to prove yourself every day and show that you can play." Zinter graduated from high school Dec. 21 and enrolled at Notre Dame less than a month later. He's in the offseason grind under director of football perfor- mance Matt Balis to prepare for college football. Zinter comes to Notre Dame as a line- backer, but where he'll specifically play in Al Golden's scheme remains to be seen. "They've talked to me about play- ing all three of their linebacker posi- tions and see where I fit the best," Zinter said. "And on third downs, I could walk up and be playing as a stand-up edge rusher." He was mainly used as an edge rusher as a junior, but Zinter moved to inside linebacker during his senior year and thrived in the role. "It came naturally to me — moving side to side, filling gaps and blitzing," he said. One shouldn't rule out Zinter being used in the vyper defensive end position for Notre Dame, though. "I'm definitely open to it," Zinter noted. "I love rushing the passer. If I get the opportunity to do that, I'll take full advantage of it." ✦ Preston Zinter Aims To Prove Himself With His Play On The Field Zinter, a three-star recruit and the No. 62 linebacker in the nation per On3, selected Notre Dame over offers from Michigan, Ohio State, LSU and Southern Cal. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER PRESTON ZINTER LINEBACKER 6-2 · 215 CENTRAL CATHOLIC H.S. NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 62 7 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 11^ 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 41 7 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 54 8 ^ Ranked as a tight end STATISTICS • Recorded 116 stops, 9 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 passes broken up, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recov- eries, 1 blocked field goal and 2 interceptions during his senior year. Also hauled in 21 receptions for 257 yards and 2 touchdowns; added 2 rushing scores. • Finished his junior season with 69 tackles and 3 sacks on defense, as well as 39 receptions for 569 yards and 3 touchdowns as a tight end. NOTABLE • 2022 and 2021 Massachusetts Interscholastic All-State first-team defense. • 2022 and 2021 Merrimack Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year. • 2022 and 2021 Boston Globe Super 26 All- State team. • 2022 Eagle Tribune Player of the Year. • Younger brother of Michigan Wolverines of- fensive guard Zak Zinter, a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2022. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Feb. 11, 2022. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Irish over Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, LSU, Southern Cal and others. • Recruited by defensive coordinator Al Golden. • Visited Notre Dame seven times, including his official visit on June 10, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Zinter is likely to redshirt during his freshman season. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "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] typically bodes well. "The bloodlines don't hurt, either. His brother Zak has turned out to be a good player at Michi- gan early on in his career." Central Catholic head coach Chuck Adamo- poulus: "I really like him on defense at the next level. He's been good on both sides of the ball for us. I just like the things he does on defense. He's awesome out in space, but I like him when he has to take on a fullback when teams want to run an off-tackle power play. He tackles well, he moves well, and he's a good pass rusher. "He is even better off the field than he is on it. He's never had a bad practice, and I'm not exag- gerating. He always brings a great work ethic. As far as being a kid, he's the type of kid that's friends with everybody."