HC Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football complete a full-circle moment with their latest massive transfer portal victory
The addition of former Alabama defensive end Keon Keeley is an incredibly important move for Notre Dame football.
Notre Dame football had a very slow start to the transfer portal process over the first week, but the second week got off to a bang on Monday. That included a full-circle moment for head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish program, signing former Alabama defensive lineman Keon Keeley. If the name sounds familiar, it is because Keely was once a commitment in the 2023 class for the Irish staff.
After being committed to Notre Dame for over a year, the Florida native opted to decommit from the Irish and ended up signing with the Crimson Tide. That was not an easy decision for Keeley at the time, but he did leave the door open for a potential future return with the program. Now already enrolled in South Bend, Keeley officially will be wearing the blue and gold this fall. This is a huge addition for the Irish.
From a physical perspective, there is a ton to like about Keeley. At around 6-5 and 280 pounds, Keeley has spent a lot of time on the edge for Alabama. His size, however, gives Keeley some alignment upside to play on the interior in reduced alignments as needed. This could give a big boost, not only off the edge but on the interior, as well.
Keeley is a huge addition to Chris Ash’s defense from a playing perspective. It is also a huge deal optically as well. This feels like a move that was always destined to happen.
Keon Keeley’s career background
When Keeley came out of Tampa Bay (Fla.) Berkeley Prep in the 2023 recruiting class, he was considered to be arguably the top overall player in the county. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the Florida native ended up rated as the No. 2 overall player, the No. 1 EDGE, and the No. 1 player from the state of Florida in the class. That was fresh off a senior year where Keeley collected 23.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks.
It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise that Keeley had a ton of options on the table. Some of his top offers at the time included the Fighting Irish, the Crimson Tide, Ohio State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee, Ole Miss, USC, Florida State, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Pitt, UNC, Mississippi State, Kansas State, Rutgers, and UCF, among others.
In three years with Alabama, Keeley ended with 19 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and one pass breakup. It wasn’t until late this past season, however, that Keeley was given consistent playing time. If you pop on his film against Oklahoma in the playoffs, for instance, you are going to see a player who still has a ton of talent when given opportunities.
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