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Newsstand: Former Notre Dame long snapper Rino Monteforte commits to Cal

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•04/25/25•

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Notre Dame long snapper Rino Monteforte. (© MATTIE NERETIN / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Former Notre Dame long snapper Rino Monteforte committed to California, he announced Tuesday.

Monteforte, who is a graduate transfer, was the Irish’s primary snapper on field goals throughout the 2024-25 season. He was repping behind rising sophomore Joe Vinci during spring practice, though, and likely would not have had a role on the Irish in the fall.

Monteforte, who stands 5-foot-7, 209 pounds, snapped 100 times without error throughout his junior year. He has two years of eligibility remaining. 

Vinci handled punts throughout the second half of last season, and he’ll likely take on full long snapper duties for the Irish. The last player to be both Notre Dame’s punt snapper and field-goal snapper was Michael Vinson, who handled both roles from 2020-23. Vinson is now a special teams fellow for the Irish, assisting special teams coordinator Marty Biagi.

Monteforte will be remembered for snapping on Mitch Jeter‘s field goal that sent the Irish to the national championship game in the final seconds of the Orange Bowl against Penn State. 

He’ll join a Cal team entering its second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, on the heels of a 6-7 (2-6 ACC) campaign.

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