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5 Mass. players to watch in college football’s national championship game
All five of them play for Notre Dame.
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When college football’s national championship game kicks off between Ohio State and Notre Dame Monday, five Massachusetts locals will be playing in Atlanta.
The Fighting Irish went 14-1 this season, only losing to Northern Illinois. Meanwhile Ohio State are 13-2, falling to Michigan and Oregon.
The game will streaming on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20.
Below are the players, some with more active roles than others, with Massachusetts ties.
Boubacar Traore, sophomore defensive lineman
Boubacar Traore is a graduate of Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury. 247 Sports, ESPN, On3 and Rivals all named him a four-star recruit out of high school. Traore was the 133rd overall prospect by 247 Sports, where he also placed 19th as a defensive lineman, third in the state.
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As a freshman for Notre Dame, Traore made appearances in five games where he collected a solo tackle, a sack that lost eight yards, and a forced fumble.
This season, Traore played in five games due to an injury.
His first appearance of his sophomore season was on Aug. 31 against Texas A&M. On Sept. 7, he set his single-game career-high with three tackles.
His best game this season came against Purdue on Sept. 14, when he notched a tackle for loss, a sack, and earned his first-career interception and pick-six. On that play, he took it 34 yards to increase Notre Dame’s already large lead.
Against Louisville, Traore collected one solo tackle — which resulted in a loss of yards for the Cardinals — before tearing his left ACL, causing him to be out for the rest of the season.
Guerby Lambert, freshman offensive tackle
Guery Lambert, who is also graduate of Catholic Memorial High School, was a four-star recruit and ranked 83 in the nation in terms of prospects by 247 Sports. He also ranked seventh in the offensive tackle category and was the top prospect in the state.
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Lambert played five games during his freshman season. He made his collegiate debut against Purdue and saw action against Miami. He had a hiatus between the Stanford game in October and Georgia in January.
He played on special teams against both Georgia and Penn State in the College Football Playoffs.
Ty Chan, sophomore offensive lineman
Ty Chan spent his first two years at Lowell High School before transferring to Lawrence Academy, where he reclassified his sophomore year of high school. He committed to Notre Dame as an offensive lineman in 2020.
He was considered a four-star recruit by 247 Sports, Rivals and ESPN. He was ranked 128th nationally, 13th in offensive tackles nation-wide, and was the top ranked player in the state by 247 Sports.
When he was a freshman for the Fighting Irish, he played in two games. As a member of the offensive line, he helped the unit become a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.
This season, Chan competed in nine games. His first game of the season was against Northern Illinois, where he notched the first tackle of his career. He mostly played on special teams line this season. He hasn’t played since Dec. 12 against Indiana.
Joseph Vinci, freshman long snapper
From Westwood High School, long snapper Joseph Vinci is in the midst of his freshman season.
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Vinci walked on to the team after being named third in the nation by former UCLA snapper, Chris Rubio, on his site Rubio Long Snapping.
The freshman made his debut against Navy on Oct. 26. During the game against Virginia, he earned his first career tackle on Nov. 16. Vinci competed in both the quarterfinals and semifinals of the playoffs.
Preston Zinter, sophomore linebacker
Preston Zinter, who graduated from Central Catholic High School, has accumulated many accomplishments this season and prior to committing to the Fighting Irish.
In 2021, he was named the Boston Globe Defensive Player of the Year and earned MIAA First Team All-State.
From 247 Sports, On3 and Rivals, he was ranked as a three-star recruit, however, ESPN gave the linebacker four stars.
During his first year with the Fighting Irish, he played in four games, recording two tackles and a quarterback hurry.
This season he has competed in 15 games. In the regular season, he blocked Florida State’s punt – the first punt block of his career. He also set his single-game career-high with three solo tackles against Army on Nov. 23. He also saw action in the quarterfinals and semifinals, both times playing on special teams.
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