Khalid Kareem Looking For Repeat Performance at Michigan
Khalid Kareem's family has been a man down in recent weeks as his father, Ken, had a hip replacement surgery done at the beginning of October.
While strategically placed where he would only miss a few of his son's games, the trip to Michigan was circled as the return date.
"His hip was kind of messed up and he just had hip surgery," Kareem said of his father. "It was a little bit difficult for him to move around as much."
Kareem's dad is set to come off the IR and will be in The Big House on Saturday as well as several other family members.
"Right now, I'm sitting at like 15-16," Kareem said of how many tickets he had to get for Saturday's game. "I'll probably try to get a couple more tickets, so it'll be upwards of 20 by the time it's all said and done."
The 6-foot-4, 265-pounder has never played at Michigan Stadium, but he's been there more than a few times.
"I think I went to one when I was in middle school," explained Kareem. "We went to a few in high school for recruiting.
"It will be my first time playing there. I always wanted to play there, so it's exciting to be on the opposing side. It's going to be a cool experience to be infront of 115,000, my family and friends."
The Wolverines were in the picture during his recruitment, but they weren't at the same time.
Kareem committed to Michigan State and Alabama before signing with the Irish, but Michigan never quite made the impression many expected.
"They made it to my final three," stated Kareem. "It came down to me wanting to do something different and getting away from home. I'm still close enough to see my family, but being far enough where I can be my own person at the same time."
That said, Kareem expects to have some emotions as he will be returning to his home state this weekend with the College Football Playoff on the line.
"I kind of view them as a faceless opponent," said Kareem. "Another team in the way of us getting to the National Championship.
"I feel it's a little personal for me. I'm 30 minutes away from Ann Arbor. I know a lot of guys on the team and I have a lot of friends who go to Michigan. It'll be good to go in there and try to get the dub."
Kareem doesn't expect to battle his emotions on Saturday night, but he's also aware he needs to keep them in check if they do come out.
"I'm going to be excited, but I have to keep myself chill," Kareem explained. "I'm not a person who plays at a high optimal zone. I'm kind of right there in the middle - calm, cool and collected."
A year ago, Kareem recorded eight tackles, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in the 24-17 win over Michigan.
The key for Notre Dame's defense will be the same as last year as the Irish need to neutralize quarterback Shea Patterson.
"He's an electric player," said Kareem. "He knows how to read a defense and he can move in and out of the pocket. Once he doesn't see his reads, he tucks and runs.
"We have to really contain him inside the pocket and be in our rush lanes. We have to get some pressure and some sacks."