Coach | 2023 Notre Dame ATH Target Preston Zinter Brings Plenty To Table

Before taking off for a trip to South Bend this summer, Preston Zinter‍ needed to be excused.

“Just to tell you what type of kid he is, he came up to apologize to me because he was going to miss a Wednesday lift in the summer because he was going up to Notre Dame,” Central Catholic High School head coach Chuck Adamopoulos recalls with a chuckle.

“I said, ‘Preston, I think it’s kind of important you get out and do your recruiting.’”

The 2023 Massachusetts athlete has struck a solid balance of handling his recruitment and handling his duties to Central Catholic, helping lead the Raiders to an 8-1 record so far this fall while stacking offers from schools like Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Boston College, Georgia, LSU, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and USC among several others.

Zinter will make another trip to South Bend this weekend for the Irish’s game against USC.

“He’s super athletic and very versatile,” Adamopoulos says of the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder. “You can play him at tight end. We pop him out at wideout. He’s a really good outside linebacker. We play a 3-4 and he has the ability to cover fast slot receivers and then he comes in and play against a tight end and control him. He’s a good pass rusher.

“He’s very versatile and has a lot of different skills you can use in a lot of different places on the field.”

That versatility makes Zinter more appealing even if schools aren’t exactly sure where he projects, according to his coach.

“I think that’s what’s cool for schools that are recruiting him,” says Adamopoulos. “ We’re halfway through his junior season and he’s got next Fall. You’re almost recruiting two kids at one time. Watching him develop, who knows? I don’t know. I guess it depends on the scheme. I think he’s really good on both sides of the ball and offers a lot on both sides of the ball.

“Notre Dame, it seems like they’re looking at him on defense. Other places are looking at him as a tight end. It’s a situation where I think he’s equally good on both sides of the ball.”

As for the Irish, this will be Zinter’s third trip up to South Bend in only a matter of months.

“It’s definitely one he’s seriously looking at.”