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Rino Monteforte was too Italian growing up in North Babylon to ever consider becoming a fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
These days, though, that couldn’t be further from the case for Monteforte, this season’s starting long snapper for Notre Dame football.
Monteforte, 20, who would go onto become arguably the best long snapper in New York state while playing for Kellenberg High School in Uniondale, now heads to Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on Saturday night, where his Italian family will be fervently cheering on the No. 9 Irish against No. 20 Texas A&M.
Monteforte’s mother will be there, along with his grandmother and more than 102,000 other fans, including a strong contingent of Notre Dame supporters.
“After I committed to Notre Dame, we have become the biggest Irish Italian people in the world,” Monteforte said. “We love the Irish now. And it’s pretty cool to be able to play for the number one Catholic school in America.”
Informed earlier this month that he had earned the starting long snapper spot on field goals and extra points, Monteforte relishes the opportunity to contribute to Notre Dame’s success this season.
“At the end of the day, the goal is to be unheard of as much as possible,” he said. “If you watch on Saturday and you don’t hear my name one time, and the Irish win, that means I probably did my job perfect.”
Nonetheless, Monteforte will enjoy the theater of playing a pivotal role for his team in a match-up of college football juggernauts.
“I’m sure while going there on a plane on Friday there is going to be some butterflies,” said Monteforte. “I’m super excited, super pumped. What a great opportunity that I’m afforded to go and play primetime on ABC.”
Determined to ‘find a way’
Monteforte’s journey to first string on the depth chart took patience and persistence. He was red-shirted his freshman season, then saw very limited playing time in 2023, while serving as the understudy to sixth-year player Michael Vinson.
At 5-foot-7 and 195 pounds, Monteforte isn’t your typical-sized Division I college football player. In fact, he took that matter into his own hands seven years when he determined at 13 that he needed to develop a new football skill to make him more marketable to recruiters.
“I went to a football camp and I was 5-foot-5, 115 pounds. There were kids in my grade who were six foot, and over 200 pounds,” said Monteforte, who began playing football in kindergarten. “And I said to myself, ‘How am I going to find a way to play Division I college football, if I work hard and put the time in.’ I had to find a way to get on the field with my size and my limitations.
“It was an August night when I came across a video with Joe Cardona, the snapper for the Patriots, on how to long snap. And from there I got hooked. I became obsessed.”
Monteforte took to long snapping so well that by his sophomore season at Kellenberg he had received an offer to long snap at the University of Buffalo. But after a visit to Notre Dame during his senior year, playing for the Irish was an easy decision, even if he was invited as a preferred walk-on, non-scholarship player as a freshman.
“From the moment I stepped on campus — pulled up at midnight — and saw the golden dome, I just knew that this is where I belonged,” he said. “It’s so much more than football here. It’s life.”
For Monteforte, success as a long snapper is all about consistency and focus.
“It’s just being able to do the same thing consistently every single time,” he said. “Whether it’s a 62-yard field goal attempt or it’s a P.A.T. (point after touchdown). Whether it’s a P.A.T. to tie the game or a P.A.T. to win the game, or a P.A.T. when you’re up 56 to nothing.
“Being able to execute every single time,” he continued. “I’d say that’s what set me apart.”
Making Long Island a ‘pipeline’ for long snappers
Monteforte envisions a promising future for Long Island high school athletes breaking into Division I football, particularly in the specialized role of long snapping. He believes that the athletic talent from Long Island, especially those who excel in lacrosse, could significantly impact the football landscape if they were to transition to the gridiron.
Monteforte highlights that while positions requiring physical size and strength may face regional differences, the fundamental skill of long snapping remains constant across all states.
“Fourteen yards snapping in Texas is the same as 14 yards snapping in New York,” he said. “I’m fortunate enough to play a position where all that matters is the quality of the snap, for which the distance is the same in every state.”
“My goal whenever I come home is trying to continue to elevate the level of long snapping on Long Island by teaching as many kids how to long snap as possible,” Monteforte continued. “So that way, we continue to see this pipeline of great long snappers from Long island. And hopefully we can make Long Island one of the long snapping capitals of the world.”
Notre Dame’s season kickoff game at Texas A&M begins at 7:30 p.m. It will air on ABC. Monteforte will be wearing jersey No. 39.
Photos: Courtesy of University of Notre Dame
Top photo: Rino Monteforte (middle) via Instagram/Rino Monteforte
