Notre Dame had one of the best true freshmen in the country on the field this past weekend. Fighting Irish safety Kennedy Urlacher recorded the third-best Pro Football Focus game grade of Week 3. His score was 86.2.

Here’s a look at the top 10 freshmen per PFF in Week 3.

1. Ryan Wingo, Texas wide receiver (89.4)
2. Elija Lofton, Miami tight end (89.2)
3. Kennedy Urlacher, Notre Dame safety (86.2)
4. Tah’j Butler, Georgia Tech linebacker (83.0)
5. Caden Durham, LSU running back (82.5)
6. Trelain Maddox, Georgia Tech running back (80.3)
7. Glenn Seabrooks III, Vanderbilt defensive lineman (80.2)
8. Simeon Coleman, Cincinnati linebacker (80.0)
9. Decker DeGraaf, Washington tight end (77.6)
10. Jordan Lyle, Miami running back (76.5)

Urlacher was the lowest-rated signee in the Fighting Irish’s class of 2024. He was the No. 707 player in the country and the No. 75 safety per the On3 Industry Ranking. What he did Saturday at Purdue, though, was undeniable.

Irish head coach Marcus Freeman called Urlacher a “ball hawk” in his Monday press conference. In one half, Urlacher finished tied for second among all Irish defensive players with 3 total tackles. Two of those were solo, and he also had a pass breakup.

Urlacher was flying to the football. He showed plenty of closing speed and a willingness to hit. The combination of those two things will get a safety on the football field. The Irish have some more experienced players at that spot playing over him, but his time in the regular rotation seems to be coming.

Notre Dame tweets of the day

The Irish’s sophomore running back is a game breaker.

Not everything the Irish’s starting quarterback has done through the air so far this season has been bad.

The Irish have fired up a new season of the “Wake Up the Echoes” podcast.

Fighting Irish quote of the day

“Oh, man. He played really well, which I knew he would. We have a lot of confidence in Steve Angeli. He made good decisions, took care of the ball. I know he wishes that he wouldn’t have took those sacks, but, man, I was really pleased and proud of the way Steve played.”

— Freeman on Irish backup quarterback Steve Angeli

Blue & Gold headlines of the day

• Road Report: How Notre Dame commit Mark Zackery handles being the face of Ben Davis High
• Why stud RB recruit from familiar school would ‘love to go to Notre Dame’
• On3 top-100 recruit heading to Notre Dame for the Miami University game
• Notre Dame 3-2-1: 3 numbers, 2 questions (Leonard, Denbrock), 1 prediction (repeat performance)
• On paper: Who has the edge in every facet of Miami University vs. Notre Dame?
• Notre Dame football: Three things to know about Miami University
• How Notre Dame plans to help struggling James Rendell

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