This Notre Dame Transfer Portal Addition Should Be Worth The Wait

Former Notre Dame commit Keon Keeley flipped to Alabama out of high school, but now he's back with the Irish.

Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Keon Keeley (31) against the Oklahoma Sooners during the College Football Playoff at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

They say good things come to those who wait.


That must be what coach Marcus Freeman is thinking when it comes to Keon Keeley.

While he was still Notre Dame's defensive coordinator, Freeman picked up a commitment from Keeley way back in June of 2021. He remained committed to the Irish for over a year, and was supposed to be a building block for their 2023 recruiting class.

But Keeley flipped his pledge to Alabama in August of 2022 to play for legendary coach Nick Saban. And by the time he got to Alabama, Keeley was five-star recruit ranked No. 2 overall and No. 1 among edge rushers out of Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Fla.

Freeman wouldn't have preferred to wait this long to get Keeley back on his side, but he's certainly excited to add the talented defensive lineman as a member of Notre Dame's 2026 transfer portal class.

"It all comes full circle. Go Irish," Keeley posted on Instagram in January 2026, when he committed to Notre Dame for the second time.

"Maybe reminded him and myself a little delayed gratification. I've always believed Keon was a Notre Dame kid, right," Freeman said during a Jan. 14 press conference. "Coming from his high school, there's obviously kids, young people, on our team now from his high school, and he fits here perfectly."

"He's such unique individual. Yes, he's a great talent, he's a great football player. But Keon Keeley as an individual, I remember our first conversation recently, when he came on his visit, I'm like, 'Yep, that's the same Keon that we recruited a couple years ago.' And he fits here. I'm excited for his future here."

Keeley hasn't necessarily lived up to his billing as the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2023, behind only Arch Manning, as he recorded just 19 tackles during his time with the Crimson Tide. But it's still way too early to write off his career, as he joins the Irish with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Louisiana State Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (18) under pressure from Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Keon Keeley (31) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | David Leong-Imagn Images

Plus, two of his best games with Alabama came late in the 2025 season, combining for seven tackles and 1.5 sacks against Georgia in the SEC Championship and Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff. Evaluators are still high on Keeley, too, as he was ranked No. 60 overall and No. 9 among defensive line transfers by 247Sports.

Keeley should also help fill an important need for Notre Dame after losing defensive linemen Jared Dawson, Gabriel Rubio, Jordan Botelho and Junior Tuihalamaka to graduation and Joshua Burnham to the transfer portal. Along with Keeley, Notre Dame brought in defensive line transfers Tionne Gray from Oregon and Francis Brewu from Pitt.

So while it may have taken longer than expected to get Keeley to South Bend, he's a reason for optimism around Notre Dame going into the 2026 season.

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