Two days after Notre Dame landed the commitment from the son of a former Irish All-American and an NFL Hall of Famer, the son of another NFL Hall of Famer joined the Notre Dame class on Monday evening. Consensus three-star safety Kennedy Urlacher (Kennedy High School; Az.) committed to the Irish rather than other finalists TCU, Miami, Penn State, Kansas State or Illinois. On Saturday, four-star defensive end Bryce Young (Charlotte Christian High School; N.C.), Bryant Young’s son, became the third notable last name to join the Notre Dame class of 2024.
The first, of course, was consensus four-star quarterback CJ Carr nearly a year ago, the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr.
Urlacher was also offered a scholarship by Arizona State, Nebraska, Washington and Wisconsin.
Ranked the No. 27 safety in the class, per rivals.com, Urlacher is an excellent downhill tackler and takes good closing angles. He seems to read a scrambling quarterback well, another somewhat instinctual trait.
At only 6-foot and 190 pounds, Urlacher may be a bit undersized, but he does not shy from contact. There is a nature vs. nurture conversation to be had when watching him use his entire chest to meet a running back.
The 13th commitment in Notre Dame’s next class, Urlacher is the third defensive back, joining consensus three-star cornerbacks Karson Hobbs (Archbishop Moeller; Cincinnati) and Leonard Moore (Round Rock H.S.; Texas).
Not too much can be drawn from team recruiting rankings nearly eight months before players can sign their National Letters of Intent, but the Irish currently sit No. 5 in the country behind Michigan, Ohio State, LSU and Georgia.
South Bend trip☘️ pic.twitter.com/HoowtRw8LE
— Kennedy Urlacher (@k_urlacher11) April 19, 2023
