2023 LB Preston Zinter Enjoys Another "Great" Visit To Notre Dame

Preston Zinter‍ was back in South Bend this weekend for the Irish’s Junior Day and once again, Notre Dame made a very strong impression on the 2023 athlete from Massachusetts.

“It was a great visit,” the Central Catholic High School standout told Irish Sports Daily afterward.

After touring the facilities and campus, Zinter, who is being recruited to play linebacker for the Irish, went into head coach Marcus Freeman’s office.

“We spent a good 30, 45 minutes talking with him,” the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder said. “My parents and I talked with him about everything.

“Then, we went to the hockey game last night. I got to sit next to him. We just talked about everything, talked about ball, talked about life. It was just good to talk with him and just see how much of a down earth guy he is and how much he can relate to the younger guys and all his players.”

Zinter and Freeman have been building a strong relationship for months now, long before Freeman was the head coach.

“Our relationship just keeps building and building,” Zinter said. “We get more comfortable with each other each time we see each other, so it was great.”

Zinter also had the chance to hang out with some of the 2023 Irish commits.

“I got to spend a good amount of time with Drayk (Bowen), his dad and his brother were there,” said Zinter. “My dad and his dad talked a lot. I got to hang out with Drayk here and there.

“We also got to hang out with Brenan Vernon. I got to meet him and got to meet his family too. My parents talked with his parents as well.”

Zinter and Bowen spent time in the linebackers room going over X’s and O’s.

“They broke down Drayk and my film and showed us how we'd fit into their scheme and how we'd be able to play all their different linebackers,” he explained. “That was really good and really great to see how I'd be able to fit into their defense.”

Zinter said he “definitely” feels he could fit in with the players in South Bend.

“I loved getting to know them,” he said. “They're super chill, great guys. I loved getting to know them more and just hanging around them.”

This was Zinter’s fourth trip to Notre Dame in less than a year. He’s thinking about returning to see how the Irish staff operates during a spring practice. But for now, he’ll focus on continuing to establish those bonds with the staff.

“Just keep building my relationships with them and keep talking,” he said. “I think that's the biggest thing right now.”

He doesn’t have any other trips locked in yet either.

“There are a ton of schools that want me to come visit. I have nothing planned right now, but I'm definitely going to sit down and talk to my parents and talk about if we're going to be able to make some spring practice trips.”