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Notre Dame linebacker Preston Zinter has entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos. He does so after spending three years with the Fighting Irish.
Zinter played in 30 games during his career at Notre Dame, but his impact was relatively limited. He totaled just eight tackles during his three years, with that distribution fairly well spread.
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As a freshman in 2023, Preston Zinter played in four games and logged two tackles. He then tallied four tackles as a sophomore while playing in all 16 games in 2024. Finally, he notched two tackles this season while playing in 10 games.
Zinter is a quality special teams player, though. He managed to block a punt in a win over Florida State during the 2024 season.
Prior to enrolling at Notre Dame, Preston Zinter was ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 474 overall recruit in the 2023 class, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He also checked in as the No. 52 linebacker in the class and the No. 6 overall player from the state of Massachusetts, hailing from Lawrence (MA) Central Catholic.
Preston Zinter, KK Smith headed out
Preston Zinter isn’t the only Notre Dame player to make plans to hit the NCAA transfer portal in the last 48 hours. Wide receiver KK Smith has also entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. He just finished up his sophomore season with the Fighting Irish.
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He caught eight passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in 2025. All in all, the wide receiver has amassed 11 catches over two seasons in South Bend.
Smith played high school football at Reedy (Frisco, TX), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 527 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted algorithm that compiles all major recruiting media services.
On3’s Steve Samra also contributed to this report.
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