Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2024 59 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER W ith a three-star "87" grade accord- ing to On3, Kennedy Urlacher is Notre Dame's lowest-ranked player in the 2024 class. His father, Brian, may know a thing or two about being over- looked. Legend has it that the elder Urlacher wanted to attend Texas Tech but didn't get that scholarship offer. He instead took an opportunity at New Mexico and the rest is history. He was a first-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Chi- cago Bears and would go on to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kennedy is paving his own path at the next level. He committed to the Irish over Miami, TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Washington, Stanford and Penn State last spring. He signed with Notre Dame in December and enrolled in January. Notre Dame has had a great run of landing prospects who are sons of former NFL players. The Irish staff preaches the importance of life after football, and guys like Brian Urlacher have lived that firsthand. "When your dads are Hall of Famers, the fathers can say, 'This game will end.' You want to make a decision that will help you reach all your athletic goals," explained Notre Dame head coach Mar- cus Freeman in December. "Don't cheat your athletic goals. But understand the game of football ends so fast. "You're talking about guys that have played multiple years —13, 14, 15 years — in the NFL. Brian Urlacher is able to tell Kennedy, 'This game's is going to end. So, go somewhere where you can maximize your football opportunities and set yourself up for life after football. "I think that coming from the Ur- lacher family and a dad that didn't come here, but understood the value of Notre Dame, had a huge impact on Kennedy." Notre Dame signed another son of a Pro Football Hall of Famer in pass rusher Bryce Young, whose father is Irish leg- end Bryant Young, who starred for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL. "I think Bryce is different because his parents both went here," Freeman con- tinued. "Kennedy's didn't, but he still understood how special this place is." ✦ Urlacher — whose father, Brian, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer — aims to make a name for himself at Notre Dame. PHOTO COURTESY KENNEDY URLACHER KENNEDY URLACHER SAFETY 5-11 ∙ 193 CHANDLER H.S. CHANDLER, ARIZ. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 85 22 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 112 29 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 39 9 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 85 18 STATISTICS • Finished his prep career with 127 tackles, 3 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. • Posted 47 tackles, 1 stop for loss, 1 pass broken up and 2 forced fumbles during his senior year. • Tallied 34 stops, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 2 passes broken up, 1 fumble recovery returned for a score and 1 blocked field goal as a junior. NOTABLE • Earned a spot on the Arizona Interscholastic Association 6A All-State second-team in 2023, plus was first-team all-region and all-district. • Tabbed as Chandler High's 2021 Special Teams Player of the Year. • Named to MaxPreps' 2020 Freshman All-Amer- ica second-team defense. • His father, Brian, is a College and Pro Football Hall of Famer. The elder Urlacher played for New Mexico in college and for the Chicago Bears in the NFL. RECRUITMENT • Committed to the Fighting Irish on May 1, 2023. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Irish over TCU, Kansas State, Miami. • Recruited by former safeties coach Chris O'Leary. • Visited Notre Dame three times, including his official visit on June 9, 2023. 2024 PROJECTION • Is likely to redshirt as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Blue & Gold Illustrated analyst Tim Hyde: "Few safeties in America are as freewheeling as him when it comes to contact. He's aggressive and fast. You can see his athleticism shine, and he plays in a very good region for high school football. "He has a lot of really good traits. He's a strong safety, in-the-box player. … I think he's a Xavier Watts-type. He's physical and unafraid to hit peo- ple. It's a really good get for Notre Dame." Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He's a three-star-plus player for me. He works hard and has average size for a safety. Urlacher is a nice, polite kid, too. I've been seeing him since his freshman year. "He's a safety who can hit, and he had some nice offers. If he's anywhere near his father, he'll be a great player. He can cover a lot of ground." Kennedy Urlacher Understands How Special Notre Dame Is