Notre Dame football started off its 2023 recruiting class with a bang Monday afternoon when defensive end Keon Keeley verbally committed to the Fighting Irish. The 6’6″/230-pounder out of Tampa, FL is the first player to join Notre Dame’s recruiting class of 2023.
COMMITTED!!!☘️☘️☘️
Excited to Join Irish Nation!!!☘️☘️☘️
Thank You to My Mother and Berkeley Prep Football Family!@BPS_Football @NDFootball @CoachMikeElston @Marcus_Freeman1 @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney @Hayesfawcett3 #IRISHRISING23 #THINKBIG #GoIrish
☘️☘️☘️ pic.twitter.com/ns6bnRvBJn— 𝐊𝐞𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝟒⭐️ (@keon_keeley) June 28, 2021
If you’ve been following 2023 recruiting closely, this commitment likely does not come as much of a shock. Keon is a perfect fit for Notre Dame both on and off the field. He was able to visit Notre Dame for the first time on an unofficial visit earlier this month, and that visit was all it took to confirm suspicions that it was a match made in heaven.
Recruiting Service Rankings
Rivals — Not Yet Rated
ESPN — Not Yet Rated
247Sports — 4 star (90 rating), #216, #40 DL, #46 in FL
Irish Sports Daily — 4 star (91 rating)
Cohort
Keon chose the Irish over other offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, Arizona State, North Carolina, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and UCF.
Highlights
Keon definitely has a “first off the bus” body type, as evident by the picture he used for his commitment tweet. He looks like a giant towering over his opponents in his sophomore highlights, and his length is as good as it gets. He’s a very good athlete who plays hard and is willing to be physical at the point of attack.
As with every commit, Jamie over at ISD has a great write-up on Keon’s film — what he does well, where he can improve, and what kind of ceiling he has. If you’d like to read the entire thing, you can follow this link here. I do want to share a short excerpt here, however:
His tools are absolutely elite. He has 5-star potential as a recruit and has the physical traits that could make him a very high NFL Draft pick. Notre Dame does not land many like him.
Sounds good to me.
Impact
This is a great start to 2023 recruiting, and the Irish are in a good spot with a few more really good prospects. It’s early, but the strong start to 2022 recruiting may work it’s way into 2023 as well.
Defensive end recruiting has been in a good spot the past couple of years, but Keon has the potential to be an early-impact kind of guy if he continues to develop before arriving on campus a little less than two years from now. It’s too early to determine if Keon could be an early enrollee, but that would be an ideal situation. Regardless, Notre Dame fans should be extremely excited about landing a kid with such potential.
Welcome to the Irish family, Keon!
Wow. Is this Freeman’s doing? If we can survive OSU/Clemson on the schedule the next couple of years and rack in the recruits like we are doing/seem to be on the cusp of doing – this could be a really great few year run. If only we can get a QB to step up.
Wow after double-checking my memory with OSU and Clemson – they are BOTH on the schedule in 2022 AND 2023. Who thought that would be a good idea?
We REALLY need a QB to step up big time for those seasons – where we could go 9-3 and have a pretty darn good year (if we played those two teams close). I suppose having the 12 team playoffs for 2023 could be helpful where going 10-2 and losing to two other playoff teams (assuming closish games) we could still be in.
Thanks for the writeup First thought is he could look really good on a follow up to the “first five” list from last week!
Will we get the annual 247 article that “this next class has a chance to be really special?” Truth be told I talk myself into it every year and let me tell ya this next class has a chance to be special
Though it’s nicer to start with a stud DE than a few top OT/TE type players. It’s also coupled with the fact that the previous class seems to be situated to finish very strong).
I was half joking because 247 would run that article every year after the first commit or two, but some big differences now. Way more credible as a program and better coordinators and Kelly is better. And like you said they’re recruiting better at the non te/ol positions
Well I didn’t get the joke because it’s a totally understandable attitude!
Always good to start strong. We seem to be doing well at pass rusher. That will certainly help where we don’t seem to be doing as well, CB. If you get to the QB before he can throw, you hide that weakness.
If you look at the offense board update, there are a number of top prospects, who are all big and fast, Cam Hart types. If one is willing to change sides, they could be quite a good fit.
Looks good but 2 years is a long time for bad things to happen. Like changing his mind or getting hurt.
And now Vernon is on board. Our defensive recruiting is a legitimate juggernaut right now.
That is the first really big shockwave, wow! Super elite DE from Ohio that ND steals away from Ohio State? Now we’re cookin with gas baby!
“In terms of player rating comparison on 247 Sports, of every commitment under Brian Kelly, defensive end Brenan Vernon trails only Jaylon Smith and Aaron Lynch. In terms of all-time rankings in the 247/Rivals era, Vernon is sixth overall. Michael Floyd is No. 5”
https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1410000381065707521
Not too often a 4* recruit at DE doesn’t even get to be the highest rated guy at his position for 24 hours.