Northwestern transfer LB Kenny Soares Jr. signs with NC State

NC State left the spring practice window with a clear desire to add a linebacker to its roster. And it didn’t take long to do that as former Northwestern linebacker Kenny Soares Jr. signed with the Wolfpack following an official visit in Raleigh, On3 has learned. 

Soares, a rising redshirt junior, arrives in Raleigh with two years of eligibility remaining. He adds depth and experience to defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot’s linebacker room.

The Trumbull, Conn., native logged 57 total tackles with 5.5 for a loss and 2.5 sacks in his two seasons on the field with the Wildcats. Soares also added three passes defended with a fumble recovery during his tenure in Evanston, Ill.

Soares was a rotational linebacker at Northwestern, making 24 appearances with five starts over the last two seasons. 

This past fall, Soares logged 267 total snaps on defense with a season-most 39 at Iowa in Week 9, according to Pro Football Focus. In that game against the Hawkeyes, Soares posted a season-best five total tackles, including four solos. 

The 6-foot-2, 231-pound linebacker earned an above average 75.6 overall defensive grade from PFF, including a standout 83.5 pass rush mark this past season. 

As a redshirt freshman, Soares logged 37 total tackles with a pair of sacks. He posted eight games with three or more stops, including a career-high seven in the Wildcats’ 14-7 win over Utah in the 2023 Las Vegas Bowl.