“When that ball is snapped, you never know what you’re gonna get.” After watching every snap of Notre Dame’s 2024 run, one thing’s crystal clear—Marcus Freeman didn’t just build a defense, he unleashed a nightmare. If we were lined up across from that Fighting Irish wall… yeah, we’d be shaking in our cleats. The way this Notre Dame’s D-line climbed the ranks and locked the No.3 Scoring Defense and No.4 Defense for yards PPG is praiseworthy. However, with the 2025 conquest right around the corner, we have some “news” that could shake up Freeman’s foundation. Now, is this something bad or good? Well, we will let you guys figure that out.

“Notre Dame safety Kennedy Urlacher plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, @Hayesfawcett3 reports.” See, now if your defense is one of the best things about you, you’d hate to lose a piece from the piece. Sadly for Notre Dame, the portal has claimed another soul. Hitting the free market is Kennedy Urlacher, son of Hall of Famer and NFL Defensive Player of the Year for 2005, Brian Urlacher. Sure, some fans might roll their eyes and say, “Well, Kennedy wasn’t that big for Notre Dame.” We get it—but let’s be real. Even in just one season, the guy was a key cog in Marcus Freeman’s ‘organized chaos’ defense. Quiet impact, loud results: 8 games with around 12 total tackles and an amazing pass defense.

Coming out of Chandler, even Penn State and Miami were running behind this guy before Freeman won the toss and got the 3-star prospect to the Irish. “The one thing that ultimately stood out to me about ND was the education and network that there is over there, another thing that helped was the relationships I have built with the coaching staff over there,” Kennedy had revealed after the news of his commitment to ND broke out.

But sadly, it’s that time of year—when players go looking for their next 1-up like it’s a video game. And right now, Urlacher’s hitting ‘start’ on his 2025 quest. However, there is one more interesting thing about this transfer portal news.

You see, 247Sports updated that Kennedy has hit the portal with a “do not contact” tag. In simple terms, schools aren’t allowed to reach out to him, but his side will be the one doing all the “reaching out.” Now, we do not have a definite list of which schools the Safety might consider, but we sure do have one contender.

The Trojans horse moves

247Sports is a gift that keeps on giving because Tom Loy from 247Sports shared on X, “Watch out for USC here.” As if Kennedy hitting the portal wasn’t tough enough for Notre Dame, Loy basically walked in, kicked the Irish while they were down, and said, “By the way, USC’s in the mix.”

But is it even valid? Let’s do the math. First things first—Chad Bowden didn’t just show up at USC to chill. The man clearly wants to turn the Trojans’ comeback dream into a reality. And with a recruiter like Bowden running GM duties, Lincoln Riley might finally get to unclench his jaw and breathe easy.

However, is the safety position still a notable issue that Bowden and Riley need to fix? The Trojans already have their X-factor in Kamari Ramsey—let’s not forget, this dude skipped the NFL Draft just to come back and beef up that defensive depth. With him in place, does the USC for Kennedy rumor hold any value?

Honestly? Another player on the block never hurt the foundation. If USC is really in the mix, then Bowden and Riley might just get their hands on some straight-up NFL bloodline royalty.