After some early Transfer Portal struggles, the Notre Dame football team is officially on a heater. Marcus Freeman and the Irish have scored not one, not two, but three commitments on Monday morning, with the latest being Keon Keeley.
Keeley announced his commitment just minutes after wide receiver Quincy Porter also announced he was coming to South Bend. The two were just an hour or so after defensive back DJ McKinney made his commitment to ND for the second time in the last week.
Keon Keeley is the kind of Transfer Portal win Notre Dame faithful have been desperate to add to a roster that will need to rebuild its defensive line for the 2026 season. The edge rusher joins the Irish after spending two seasons with Alabama.
Once ranked as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, Keeley was the second-ranked player overall and the top-ranked edge rusher according to Rivals rankings. While he hasn't managed to have the kind of success expected of him by the Crimson Tide, he has a real chance to see the field more for Chris Ash's unit this fall.
Notre Dame lands former five-star edge rusher Keon Keeley
Keeley is undoubtedly familiar with Notre Dame. He actually committed to Marcus Freeman's program out of high school. However, he eventually decommitted and went to the SEC power instead.
Now Freeman and Ash will get a do-over and a chance to really see what he can do in South Bend after totaling just 16 tackles in two years in Tuscaloosa.
Keeley did show off some elite pass-rushing skills in 2025. Playing in 12 games, he had a career high 13 total tackles, 3 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries, and 2 quarterback hits.
The newest member of the Notre Dame defensive line even added a pass deflection. All of those numbers show a pass rusher who could make a big difference in 2026.