Notre Dame Commit Profile: Safety Kennedy Urlacher
Notre Dame added talented Arizona safety Kennedy Urlacher to its 2024 class. Urlacher fills a major need from a numbers standpoint at safety, but he also adds a much-needed skillset to the secondary.
Here's the Irish Breakdown commit profile for Urlacher.
KENNEDY URLACHER PROFILE
Hometown/High School: Chandler, Ariz./Chandler
Height/Weight: 6-1, 180
IB Grade: 3.5 (Top 300 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.0
Player Comp: Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame
2022 Stats: 34 total tackles, 1 interception, 2 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, 1 blocked kick
Recruited By: Chris O’Leary, Al Golden, Chad Bowden
Offers: Notre Dame, Miami, Penn State, Nebraska, TCU, Washington, Wisconsin, Iowa, Stanford, Kansas State, Arizona State, Arizona, Cal, Kansas
RECRUITING RANKINGS
Rivals: 4-star - No. 31 safety
On3: 3-star - No. 72 safety
247Sports: 3-star - No. 82 safety
ESPN: 3-star - No. 104 safety
247 Sports Composite: 3-star - No. 558 overall - No. 54 safety
On3 Consensus: 3-star - No. 609 overall - No. 60 safety
FILM ANALYSIS
Notre Dame likes to use its safeties in an interchangeable manner, and Urlacher fits that mold. Although he can do a little bit of everything, right now his game is ideally suited to be a defender that plays the alleys. He'll need to add weight and fill out his frame, but Urlacher is a strong young athlete that loves to lay punishment on offenses
That ability to fly downhill, be a force against the run and intimidate pass catchers coming into his zone will be a strong addition to the Irish safety depth chart. Urlacher needs to clean up his tackling technique and at times he'll play out of control, but when his technique is right his athleticism and strength combination allow him to be an impact tackler. That is something Notre Dame certainly needs more of, with the Irish safeties struggling at times as tacklers the last few seasons.
Urlacher is a fluid athlete that shows well above average speed. His father - Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher - had a huge growth spurt when he got into college. We'll see if Kennedy has a chance to have a similar physical jump, but he should at least add a lot of weight room strength and power, which will make him an even greater force. He should also see another jump in speed, and that's already a quality part of his game.
The Chandler star spends most of his time coming downhill, so we don't see him in man coverage all that much, but he will spend time playing over the top. He shows good open and run skills and shows good range over top of the defense. The same skills that allow him to cover a lot of grown going downhill are the same skills he has to cover ground when playing off the hash.
His coverage game needs work from a technical and experience standpoint, but the tools are there. His combination of instincts, range, physicality and tackling ability are why he grades out as a 4.0-star recruit on the Irish Breakdown board.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Urlacher gives Notre Dame an alley safety that can be a major weapon in the run game, but he also has talent that should allow him to match up against opposing tight ends. Notre Dame likes to use its safeties in an interchangeable manner, and Urlacher has the range to play off the hash as well. The safety position has been a major problem from a tackling standpoint in recent seasons, and Urlacher upgrades that area.
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Irish Breakdown Content
2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense
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