Preston Zinter
| No. 9 – Rice Owls | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tight end |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 24, 2004[1] |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 254 lb (115 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Central Catholic (North Andover, Massachusetts) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Preston Grant Zinter (born January 24, 2004)[1] is an American college football tight end for the Rice Owls of the American Conference. He previously played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a linebacker and defensive end.
Early life
[edit]Zinter played for Central Catholic High School. He received several collegiate scholarship offers during his time at the school.[2] He was named to the all-state team by the Massachusetts High School Football Association in 2021.[3]
College career
[edit]Notre Dame
[edit]Zinter committed to Notre Dame in February 2022.[4] He officially signed with the team in December of the same year.[5] He enrolled with the school early, in February 2023.[6] He was redshirted in 2023, and played as a reserve linebacker during the 2024 season.[7] He played in all sixteen games of the season.[8]
In 2025, Zinter switched to play as a defensive end and led the team in special teams snaps. As of the end of the 2025 ncaa season, he has nine career tackles.[9] He entered the NCAA transfer portal in January 2026.[10]
Rice
[edit]On January 13, 2026, Zinter committed to the Rice Owls as a tight end.[11][12]
Statistics
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Solo | Ast | Sack | PD | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | TD | |||
| 2023 | Notre Dame | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Notre Dame | 16 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 30 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal life
[edit]Zinter's brother, Zak, played for the Michigan Wolverines at the time that Zinter committed to Notre Dame.[13]
References
[edit]- 1 2 @paul_zinter (January 24, 2024). "Happy 20th Birthday Day My Man! @Preston_Zinter 💚☘️🤙" (Tweet). Retrieved January 24, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ Kurkjian, Adam (August 29, 2021). "Central Catholic's Preston Zinter a hot prospect". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Cassell, Tommy (December 28, 2021). "Massachusetts High School Football Association names All-State team for 2021". MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Doherty, Matt (February 11, 2022). "Central Catholic football standout Preston Zinter commits to Notre Dame". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Driskell, Bryan (December 21, 2022). "Notre Dame Signs Linebacker Preston Zinter". Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Farmer, Douglas (July 5, 2023). "Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 25 Preston Zinter, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, subtle recruiting win". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Berardino, Mike (November 25, 2024). "Injury report: Notre Dame football updates status for Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Howard Cross III". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Pote, Jamie (August 9, 2025). "The next Zinter: Preston raising bar for big role at Notre Dame". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Soble, Jack (January 6, 2026). "Notre Dame defensive end Preston Zinter to enter NCAA transfer portal". On3. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Mentock, Drew (January 6, 2026). "Notre Dame's Preston Zinter Enters Transfer Portal". Irish Illustrated.com. 247Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Ault, Bryan (January 13, 2026). "Former Notre Dame Edge Preston Zinter Transfers to Rice". 247Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Bartlett, Matthew (January 13, 2026). "Rice Football Recruiting: TE Preston Zinter commits to Owls". The Roost. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Sampson, Pete (February 9, 2022). "Notre Dame lands commitment from 4-star Preston Zinter over Michigan, Boston College". The Athletic. Retrieved January 15, 2026.