Notre Dame long snapper Rino Monteforte enters NCAA transfer portal

Notre Dame long snapper Rino Monteforte has entered the transfer portal, he announced on social media. Irish Sports Daily’s Matt Freeman was first to report the news.

Monteforte, who will be a graduate transfer was Notre Dame’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 Notre Dame to the national championship game in the final seconds of the Orange Bowl against Penn State. He released a lengthy statement on social media as he announced his entry into the transfer portal:

“These past three years have been a dream come true. Never in my life would i have thought I would land at a school where I could become the VP of Dillon Hall and continue my love of playing mass/exalt percussion, worship my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Eucharist daily, AND compete at the highest level of FBS football. This journey has been challenging and pushed me to limits I never thought I could reach. However, it has been the most rewarding experience of my life and I am forever grateful for it all.

“Thank you to Coach Mason and Coach Freeman for believing in me three years ago and affording me the opportunity to play at Notre Dame. Thank you to Coach Freeman and Coach Biagi for allowing me to continue on my journey here and work together to reach our goals as a team.

“Thank you to my teammates for being there always. The culture that I’ve been a part of here is special and that would not be possible without every single person that I’ve shared the locker room with these past three years. The relationships I’ve made are unbreakable and I’m so blessed to have a brotherhood so strong.

“One last thank you to everyone in the Gug. Strength and conditioning, nutrition, EQ, managers, trainers, operations, media, ushers, everyone, you guys make Notre Dame great and I would not have had such a positive experience without each and every one of you.

“I have decided to enter the transfer portal as a graduate with two years of eligibility remaining. This decision was made knowing that on May 18, I will become a Notre Dame graduate, which has been my No. 1 goal throughout my time here. God Bless Irish Nation.”

A native of North Babylon, N.Y., Monteforte came to Notre Dame as a walk-on from Uniondale (N.Y.) Kellenberg Memorial. He stayed with the Irish from 2022-25.