Spring football serves as a line in the sand between hope and reality. For fans, it serves as a teaser of what to expect come fall. Whether that elusive benchmark of wins you’re aiming for will be breached or remain distant. For the players themselves, it’s a tryst with learning their importance within the team. Whether that starting role you’ve been gearing for will actually come by or if you’re staring at another year subjected to the shadows. Likewise, it is also informative about whether a starter will remain so or be deemed surplus to requirements for next season. In case the outcome of spring camp doesn’t line up with your wishes, the transfer portal then allows for a redo. A clean slate. That’s exactly the route one linebacker has chosen to tread.
After week 1 of spring practice concluded, said player saw enough. Staying put in a reduced role wasn’t ideal. After all, college eligibility isn’t infinite. With 2 years of eligibility left, doing away with 50% seems rich. That said, this 231 lb man-mountain perhaps wasn’t even staring at a reduced role. Which is the most common reason for hitting the College Football Transfer Portal when it reopens in the spring. Perhaps they were privy to the intriguing opportunities out there.
The player in question is Kenny Soares Jr. An unassuming name in the wider CFB sphere, but one that deserves recognition. The redshirt junior featured in 24 games for the Northwestern Wildcats over the past two seasons. But peel back this surface-level stat and you’d realize he wasn’t actually starting most of these. Kenny Soares was second-string on the depth chart. With fellow LBs Xander Mueller and Greyson Metz graduating, Soares was in with a shout to finally lock a starting spot.
However, his plans got shaken with the arrival of Yanni Karlaftis from Purdue. You can picture Soares striving to earn a spot in spring camp and deciding to jump ship when things didn’t transpire. Now, his decision seems to have been a masterstroke as details surface about his next landing spot. Trading Northwestern for UConn sure sounds like a great idea. Even if it’s on the gridiron and not the hardwood.
Thankful for my time at Northwestern! I am now entering the Transfer Portal as a Grad Transfer with 2 years of eligibility remaining. pic.twitter.com/lR0POI2mBs
— Kenny Soares (@kennysoaresjr) March 11, 2025
As a Connecticut native himself, Kenny Soares probably grew up dreaming of lining up for his in-state Huskies. Maybe the fact he “only” stands at 6’2 is a hindrance to the dynastic basketball program. A modern blueblood. But it’s not one for the football program, which doesn’t quite hold the same eminence. As a 3-star recruit and the no.3 prospect in the state, UConn missed out on keeping Soares close to home out of high school. So it’s only right they’re righting this wrong the second time of asking. Despite reduced minutes, Soares’ production matches up with the interest in him.
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