Irish Land Kicker, But Lose Two More to the Transfer Portal

Notre Dame struggled to sign guys when the transfer portal first opened on January 2nd, but that's changed over the last few days.

The Irish signed a pair of former five-star recruits in Quincy Porter (Ohio State) and defensive lineman Keon Keeley (Alabama) on Monday, and on Tuesday, landed kicker Spencer Porath (Purdue).

Spencer Porath, Purdue Kicker

Go Irish! ☘️ ☘️ @NDFootball @CoachBiagi @Marcus_Freeman1 pic.twitter.com/enYZ4XmoGC
— Spencer Porath (@SpencerPorath) January 14, 2026

Porath started at Purdue from the day he stepped on campus and was damn consistent in his two years in West Lafayette. In fact, he never missed an extra point and had a field goal percentage just under 80% (78.6)

As a freshman two years ago, Porath made seven of his 11 field goal attempts, including a long of 45, but was even better in 2025. The sophomore hit on 15 of his 17 field goal attempts, including a career-long of 53.

And with Noah Burnette graduating and Marcello Diomede entering the portal, the Irish only had Erik Schmidt on their roster, so adding Porath makes sense. But if you're expecting Porath to handle the entire kicking load -- kickoffs, point after attempts, field goal attempts, onside kicks, etc. -- don't be. Schmidt was ND's kickoff specialist last year, and expects that to remain the same next year.

And it makes sense. Porath didn't do kickoffs last year for the Boilermakers, and Schmidt did a nice job for Notre Dame.

So, not only does it allow Freeman to utilize both kickers, but it allows Porath to only focus on one thing -- making field goals. And that's not easy, especially for a college kicker coming to a new school.

Porath has two more years of eligibility, and unless he gets hurt during the spring or fall, is pretty much a lock to be Notre Dame's opening day kicker.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all sunshine and smiles on Tuesday as Notre Dame officially lost two more players to the portal in Preston Zinter (Rice) and Taberon Bennie-Powell (Boise State).

Preston Zinter, Rice Tight End

Officially a Rice Owl 🦉👐

Welcome to South Main, @Preston_Zinter‼️#WE pic.twitter.com/RTvBlLu2zl
— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) January 13, 2026

Zinter hasn't played on offense since his school days at Central Catholic in Massachusetts, but that's all about to change. Zinter spent the last three seasons at Notre Dame playing linebacker, special teams, and a little bit on the defensive line, but now he's going to play tight end at Rice after signing with the Owls on Tuesday.

Zinter had an interesting career at Notre Dame and was a standout on special teams, especially two years ago when the Irish made it to the National Championship game. But he never quite blossomed into an every-down player on defense.

But that wasn't going to happen at Notre Dame, and his chances of starting at linebacker for the Irish were a long shot, too. Zinter only saw the field on defense during a handful of games during his three years in South Bend, and with ND bringing back the majority of its linebacking core from a year ago, Zinter's transfer makes sense.

In 30 career games at ND, Zinter recorded eight career tackles and blocked a punt. Zinter has two years of eligibility remaining and should help a Rice team that has finished below .500 each of the last 11 seasons.

Taebron Bennie-Powell, Boise State Safety

Welcome to 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘 ✍️@TaebronBennie #BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/bqt8PVwSH5
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) January 12, 2026

Bennie-Powell played in just two games during his two years at Notre Dame, and he absolutely made the right decision transferring.

Notre Dame already has a ton of depth in its defensive backfield, especially after signing cornerback DJ McKinney (Colorado), and his chances of starting at ND next year or in the future weren't promising.

Bennie-Powell still has three years of eligibility and should help a Broncos defense that allowed 28 or more points on six separate occasions last season.