The opportunity to walk-on at Notre Dame was too hard for Joseph Vinci to walk away from.
Following a weekend visit for Saturday’s 17-14 loss to Ohio State, Vinci chose to commit to an opportunity as a preferred walk-on recruit with the Irish. The senior long snapper from Westwood (Mass.) High announced his decision Monday.
The Irish will be entering the 2024 season looking for a new long snapper to take over for Michael Vinson, who has manned the position in the final four seasons of his Notre Dame career. Vinson joined the Irish program in 2018 as walk-on himself before being elevated to a scholarship in 2021.
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The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Vinci should have the talent to compete with the other walk-on long snappers on Notre Dame’s roster for the starting spot. Rubio Long Snapping ranks Vinci as the No. 3 long snapper in the 2024 class.
“Snaps one of the smoothest balls in his class and his consistency is off the charts,” Chris Rubio, the long snapping evaluator and coach behind Rubio Long Snapping, wrote in his review of Vinci. “You could film Vinci for an hour an every single snap would look the same. He easily snaps a college level ball right now with times under .70.
“For a large man, he moves really well on his feet. Everything Vinci does is smooth. He snaps a smooth ball, he 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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Vinci opted for a walk-on spot at Notre Dame over a scholarship offer from Boston College. He became familiar with the Irish over multiple visits starting with the Blue-Gold Game in April and returning for the specialists camp in June.
Special teams coordinator Marty Biagi and special teams analyst Jesse Schmitt welcomed Vinci back to campus this past weekend as their priority at the position in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
Notre Dame’s current roster includes a pair of walk-on long snappers behind Vinson: sophomore Rino Monteforte and freshman Andrew Kros. Rubio Long Snapping ranked Monteforte the No. 6 long snapper in the 2022 class. Kohl’s Kicking ranked Kros at No. 16 in the 2023 class.
The Irish have two preferred walk-on commitments in the 2024 class: Vinci and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy wide receiver Xavier Southall.
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