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 231lb 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 discourse spawns 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. 

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 made him an offer but missed out on keeping Soares close to home out of high school. So it’s only right they right this wrong the second time of asking. Despite reduced minutes, Soares’ production matches up with the interest in him.

Kenny Soares’ announcement of entering the Transfer Portal met with instant yearning from UConn faithful

Kenny Soares Jr. posted a heartfelt farewell message to the Northwestern staff and peers he’s bidding adieu to as he announced his decision. “Thank you to Northwestern and thank you specifically to my teammates coaches and support staff for the past 3 years. I am nothing but grateful for the experience and memories made at this school. With that being said, I’d like to announce I am now entering my name in the transfer portal as a grad transfer with 2 years left of eligibility,” he wrote on X. Soares accompanied this with a screenshot confirming his inclusion in the transfer portal. Under the comments section of this post is where the UConn links ran amok.

Multiple people commented “UConn” or similar. The program, flailing in the shadow of its basketball twin, could do with a linebacker with Big 10 experience. After redshirting as a freshman, Kenny Soares totaled 57 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 3 pass breakups, and one fumble recovery over his 24 games across 2 years. Translate these numbers outside of the B1G, contextualizing for the reduced minutes, and it’s fair to assume Soares will have plenty of suitors.

Whether the Huskies’ brass actually go back in for Kenny Soares remains to be seen. The fans sure are welcoming the prospect, at least the vocal ones on social media. A career and potentially life-altering decision beckons for young Soares as he decides where he’s going to continue his escapades.