Safety Kennedy Urlacher Looks Back On Notre Dame Decision

Since committing to Notre Dame on May 1st, 2024 Chandler (Ariz.) High School safety Kennedy Urlacher has been back to business as usual. The recruiting process is now behind him, which means football and his senior season are what is most on his mind.

At a showcase at Williams Field High School on Tuesday, Max Torres of Ducks Digest caught up with Urlacher at the event. Looking back on it, the Arizona native is completely sold on the Irish.

“You get the best of both worlds over there,” Urlacher said. “You get football, a great education and I am from the Midwest. It was really a no-brainer.”

For a lot of recruits, the recruiting process can be a daunting one. With all the phone calls, texts and school visits, there are a lot of things to consider. Urlacher’s process really heated up at the end, but he was happy that it ended the way it did.

“It was fun,” Urlacher explained. “I enjoyed it. I decided that it was time to get done with it and build relationships with my coaches.

“I just didn’t think a school would beat Notre Dame out,” he continued. “Like I said, it is the best of both worlds. It was not a hard decision.”

You get a large array of answers when people ask about visiting Notre Dame. You will hear the campus, the students, the history, all of it. For Urlacher, the biggest thing that stuck with him was the chance to be around the coaches who will be working with him everyday.

“The relationships with the coaches, Coach (Marcus) Freeman, Coach (Chris) O’Leary, Coach (Chad) Bowden, Coach (Al) Golden, they are all great over there,” he said. “I really enjoyed them.”

Those coaches are a big reason why Urlacher is so excited about the future of Notre Dame football. His 2024 recruiting class is going to be a big reason for that trajectory.

“Upwards, straight upwards,” Urlacher said. “We have a good recruiting class coming in with my class and we are just going to keep building from that.”

Just a couple of weeks removed from making his commitment, Urlacher has already turned into a recruiter for the Irish. He’s putting in work trying to solidify another fantastic Notre Dame class.

“Honestly, I am talking to anybody that has Notre Dame in their top schools,” he explained. “I am always trying to text with them and get them to come over there. There are a couple of guys in Arizona as well.”

Urlacher has already solidified plans to make the trip back to Notre Dame for an official visit on June 9-11. He is also going to graduate early in December and enroll in the winter with the program. Irish fans will get well acquainted with the Arizona star soon enough but for now, Urlacher highlights what the fans should expect.

“Fast, physical and a good leader on the field,” he said. “I am 100 percent in.”

Urlacher quickly rose on the recruiting trails after a slow start to his process. The 6-1, 180-pound defensive back has seen his offer list quickly expand over the last few months. Some of the premier programs who have offered include the Fighting Irish, Miami, Penn State, TCU, Nebraska, Washington, Iowa, Kansas State, Arizona State, Arizona, Cal, Stanford and Kansas among others.

As a junior, the Chandler standout put together a successful campaign. He finished that season with 34 total tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception and two pass breakups. Urlacher also returned a fumble 90 yards for a touchdown on the season and blocked a kick as well.

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