The Notre Dame football staff received some tough news on Wednesday when sophomore safety Kennedy Urlacher opted to enter the transfer portal. Urlacher made an impact as a true freshman in 2024, playing in 14 total games. He made most of his impact on special teams, collecting 12 total tackles, one pass breakup, one tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery. There was a hope that he could fight for a bigger role, but younger players like JaDon Blair and Bauntae Johnson passed him up this spring.
It didn’t take long, but it appears a front runner has already emerged. According to a source, the USC Trojans are trending quickly for Urlacher. The fit makes sense considering that Urlacher has spent a lot of time out West, playing football in the state of Arizona. USC general managerChad Bowden also recruited Urlacher to Notre Dame.
USC has one of the better safeties in all of college football returning in 2025 with Kamari Ramsey. The rest of the room is a bigger question mark. Urlacher would be a solid addition to the room if he ends up with the Trojans.
Urlacher is the son of former Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who is one of the best in his era. His father played 13 total yards in the NFL, playing in 182 games for Chicago. He ended his NFL career with 1,316 total tackles, 138 tackles for loss, 41.5 sacks, 22 interceptions, and 90 pass breakups.
With those NFL bloodlines, raw athleticism, and impact on special teams, there has been a pretty strong early market for the younger Urlacher. The 5-11, 200-pound safety was considered a consensus three-star recruit coming out of Chandler (Ariz.) High School. Urlacher originally opted for the Fighting Irish over offers from Penn State, Miami, Nebraska, and Arizona State among several others.
