Notre Dame Football lands preferred walk-on commitment from long snapper Joseph Vinci
On Monday, the Notre Dame football program added an important piece to its future special teams depth chart. Westwood (Mass.) High long snapper Joseph Vinci announced his verbal commitment to the Fighting Irish as a preferred walk-on candidate.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Vinci chose to commit to the Irish after visiting campus for Saturday’s Ohio State game. Vinci participated in Notre Dame’s Evaluation Camp II on June 20. He also visited for spring practice on April 19.
“I am blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Notre Dame,” Vinci said in a Tweet. “Thank you to my family, friends, teammates, and coaches who helped make this happen. A big thank you to (special teams) Coach (Marty) Biagi and Coach Jesse Schmitt for this incredible opportunity. GO IRISH.”
He chose to walk on for the Irish over a scholarship offer from Boston College. Connecticut, Dartmouth, Harvard, Michigan, North Carolina, Penn State and Virginia also expressed interest in him. He visited each one of those campuses.
According to Rubio Long Snapping, a scouting service headed by former UCLA long snapper Chris Rubio, Vinci is a five-star specialist recruit and the No. 3 prospect in the class at his position.
“First off, he is a very large human being that can easily pass an eyeball test from a college coach from about 100 yards away,” the website states. “Snaps one of the smoothest balls in his class, and his consistency is off the charts. You could film Vinci for an hour, and every single snap would look the same.
“He easily snaps a college-level ball right now with times under .70 (seconds). For a large man, he moves really well on his feet. Everything Vinci does is smooth. He snaps a smooth ball, runs with a purpose and is smooth when he does it. He is a no-brainer for the next level and has all of the tools to be snapping a ball for a long time.”
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A glance at Notre Dame’s long snapper depth chart
Graduate student Michael Vinson is currently Notre Dame’s starting long snapper. In 2022, the American Football Coaches Association named 6-2, 242-pound Vinson a first-team All-American. Vinson is from Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier High.
Behind Vinson is sophomore Rino Monteforte from Uniondale (N.Y.) Kellenbeg Memorial High. According to Kohl’s Professional Camps, the 5-7, 195-pound Monteforte was a five-star prospect and No. 5 long snapper in the 2022 class. He had an offer from the University of Buffalo.
In the 2023 class, the Irish added Louisville (Ky.) St. Xavier long snapper Andrew Kros. Kohl’s Professional Camps rated the 6-3, 229-pound Kros as a 4.5-star recruit and No. 17 long snapper in his class.
When Vinci joins Notre Dame’s roster in 2024, he’ll be the fourth player from Massachusetts. Currently, the Irish have West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial defensive lineman Boubacar Traore, Lawrence (Mass.) Central Catholic linebacker Preston Zinter and Groton (Mass.) offensive tackle Ty Chan. Fellow Catholic Memorial product Guerby Lambert will also join the program in January.
