Notre Dame signing this Alabama transfer was 4 years in the making

One of Marcus Freeman's biggest scores in the Transfer Portal certainly has to be defensive lineman Keon Keeley out of Alabama. Keeley should bring a great presence to the line for the Irish in 2026, but his play alone isn't why this was such a big grab for Freeman.

Back when Keeley was in high school and going through his recruitment, he had actually committed to Notre Dame for quite some time. It wasn't until before he signed that Keeley flipped his commitment from the Irish to Alabama. While it was a tough loss, Freeman obviously had to make do without the five-star defensive lineman.

After redshirting his first season and then seeing the field in the last two seasons, Keeley is not back with the Irish out of the Transfer Portal, and Freeman always believed he was a Notre Dame kid through and through.

Keon Keeley's ties to Notre Dame date back all the way to 2023

When Keeley committed ot Notre Dame in the Class of 2023, he was the first for Freeman adn even helped bring in other guys. He committed so early that he didn't make too many trips to other schools, just Florida, Ohio State, and Alabama. His de-commitment came just nine days before he was set to sign with Notre Dame.

All of that is now in the past, and Keeley is back with Notre Dame, and it feels like this was the way it was supposed to happen. Freeman has said that Keeley is still the same guy he recruited all those years ago, but now he comes with a lot more experience.

Now, Keeley can step right on the field for the Irish in 2026 and make an immediate impact on a defensive line that needed a lot of help last season. It may not have happened the way Notre Dame fans would have liked it to, but Keeley is back in South Bend, where he always belonged.