Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 10 | W 25-10@ Boston College | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Wk 12 | W 37-15@ Pittsburgh | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#9
Preston Zinter
Junior linebacker for Rice. 2025: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 254 lb · North Andover, MA · Central Catholic
Transferred Notre Dame → Rice for 2026
Recruiting
3★
LB recruit
No. 533 nationally · Signed with Notre Dame
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 linebacker for Rice. 2025: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Notre Dame in 2023.
- Transferred from Notre Dame to Rice in 2026.
Preston Zinter
Preston Zinter arrived at Rice from Notre Dame. The receipt: 1 tackles against Pittsburgh — Week 12, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- portal record
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Notre Dame3-star out of Central Catholic
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Notre Dame
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2025
2 coaches2023–2024
Rice
2025era →
Scott Abell
Rice
Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Bloomgren → Scott Abell. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Rice
2025Notre Dame
2026Rice
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Marcus Freeman — 34-7 over that span.
2023Notre Dame10-3HC: Marcus Freeman · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2024Notre Dame14-2HC: Marcus Freeman · Run-leaning
2025Notre Dame10-2HC: Marcus Freeman · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Abell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Notre Dame | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Notre Dame | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 9 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
Background
Transfer from Notre Dame who saw action in 30 games on both defense and special teams, but will shift to tight end for the Owls. Notre Dame 2025 Saw action in 10 of 12 games and totaled 18 snaps on defense and added a career-best 211 special teams plays… Credited with a pair of tackles, one on sp...
The tight end room · Rice
- #86James Falk30 receiving yards · 2025
- #9Preston Zinter2 games · 2025
- #17Jake Rendano box-score line yet
- #25Rhys Phillipsno box-score line yet
- #82Colten Coleno box-score line yet
2 more on the roster · Rice team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology