| No. 9 – Rice Owls | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tight end |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2004-01-24) January 24, 20041 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 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.
High school career
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
Notre Dame
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. By the end of the season, he has nine career tackles.9 He entered the NCAA transfer portal in January 2026.10
Rice
On January 13, 2026, Zinter committed to the Rice Owls as a tight end.1112
Statistics
| 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
Zinter's brother, Zak, played for the Michigan Wolverines at the time that Zinter committed to Notre Dame.13
References
References
- @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.