Preston Zinter Is The Perfect Fit For Notre Dame

Notre Dame's latest commitment - linebacker Preston Zinter - is the perfect fit for the Irish on and off the field

Notre Dame has secured a commitment from another talented linebacker in the 2023 recruiting cycle by landing Lawrence (Mass.) Central Catholic two-way standout Preston Zinter. The 6-3, 215-pound athlete is an intriguing prospect, seeing programs value him at a variety of positions from tight end, linebacker and defensive end.

Zinter’s head coach at Central Catholic, Chuck Adamopoulos, who has been a part of the program for 38 years, voiced the extent of Preston’s versatility. Adamopoulos has seen a lot of players come through the program and make the jump to the next level; Zinter might be the most multifaceted.

“Preston plays as a 3-4 outside linebacker in our defense,” Adamopoulos explained. “We ask him to play in space, man up in the slot, play against tight ends .... a little of everything. Later in the season, we dropped him back and stacked him behind the defensive tackle more to work more of a 4-3 look.”

The plan for the Fighting Irish early on appears to be at MIKE linebacker, although sources indicate that he could fit the WILL as well. Judging by the variance of his recruitment, there will be options for Zinter.

“His versatility is a big bonus,” said Adamopoulos. “It really is a two for one kinda deal with Preston. If he might fit into a different spot, he will allow you to have the flexibility. He could even be a weapon on offense.”

No matter where a recruit is from, the transition to college life can be daunting. As if being a student athlete on the collegiate level wasn’t daunting enough, playing at a university like Notre Dame can be an extremely difficult transition. According to Adamopoulos, Zinter is a player who can make that transition seamlessly.

“Preston is the type of kid who can acclimate to any situation but I think he is an excellent fit with Notre Dame,” Adamopoulos noted. “It really is the perfect fit and a place he can flourish.”

Adamopoulos went into his admiration for what Notre Dame is building under new head coach Marcus Freeman. A lifelong Notre Dame fan himself, the energy is high around the program.

“I had the chance to meet Coach Freeman when he came through the school,” said the Central Catholic head coach. “There is a lot of excitement around the Notre Dame program.”

Adamopoulos has seen a lot of players make the jump, including Preston’s older brother Zak, who is now a starting guard for Michigan. The process can be a whirlwind. Zinter revealed that more than 20 programs came through Central Catholic in a two week span heading up to his Junior Day visit to Notre Dame a couple weekends ago. Despite that craziness, Preston handled it admirably.

“He handled the process about as well as you can imagine,” said Coach Adamopoulos. “Preston was getting pulled out of the classroom a lot and teachers were okay with it because he is just such a good kid.”

It’s tough to quantify how rewarding it can be for a coach to see his player get rewarded for all their hard work. Coach Adamopoulos could not speak more highly of Zinter and fulfillment for seeing him succeed.

“There is no ego with Preston," Adamopoulos stated. "He is level headed. I was in awe at times seeing how he handled all the attention. "He is genuinely a good person. He talks to everyone on the team, makes everyone feel welcome. It just makes you feel good to see a kid like him do well.”

By every account, Zinter is a perfect fit from various viewpoints. Joining Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean linebacker Drayk Bowen as a part of the class at linebacker, Notre Dame is again putting together a fantastic linebacker group in the 2023 cycle.

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