S Kennedy Urlacher Entering Transfer Portal After One Season at Notre Dame
Notre Dame safety Kennedy Urlacher will enter the NCAA Transfer Portal per multiple sources.
Hayes Fawcett was the first to report.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder appeared in 14 games as a freshman in 2024 and recorded 12 tackles on the season. Urlacher played a role on special teams (128 plays) and 65 snaps on defense, including a season-high 23 plays against Purdue.
In fact, Urlacher made at least one tackle in every game outside of the Louisville game. The Arizona native’s season high was three tackles against Purdue and his lone pass breakup came against the Boilermakers.
Why leave Notre Dame?
The ascension of classmate Tae Johnson could be a reason. The Fort Wayne (Ind.) native drew rave reviews from his peers and coaches throughout the spring, while also putting on a show during Notre Dame’s scrimmage a week before the spring game. Junior Luke Talich has also been impressive this spring, and he likely fits best into the box safety role, which is also Urlacher’s strength.
Virginia Tech graduate transfer Jalen Stroman also arrived in January. Stroman didn’t practice this spring as he recovered from a clavicle injury, but he’s expected to play a significant role in the fall.
Urlacher spoke earlier this month and seemed pleased with how his freshman season went in South Bend.
"Honestly, I expected nothing less in regard to last year because of how talented and how connected we were,” stated Urlacher. “Overall, it was a great year. I enjoyed the camaraderie with the guys."
When it came to his own play, Urlacher believed he grew under the tutelage of Mike Mickens.
"A lot of growth,” said Urlacher. “Constant improvement."
Urlacher’s departure hurts the overall depth, but the Irish have also built quality depth, which is rare to say when talking about the safety position.
In addition to Johnson, Stroman, and Talich, Notre Dame returns starting safety Adon Shuler, who recorded 59 tackles and three interceptions in 2024. The Irish will also have plenty of youth at the positions in early enrollees JaDon Blair and Ethan Long.
Redshirt freshman Taebron Bennie-Powell is back from injury, and redshirt sophomore Ben Minich can also play safety. Notre Dame will also welcome 2025 signee Brandon Logan in June. Fellow 2025 signee Dallas Golden could also play safety or corner when he arrives this summer.
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