Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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64 PRESEASON 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Avon (Conn.) Old Farms class of 2026 offensive tackle Charlie Thom didn't waste much time when he commit- ted to Notre Dame June 24. The 6-7, 270-pounder was in South Bend the weekend prior to his official visit. The Irish went into the trip as the heavy fa- vorite to land him, and the staff got the job done. "Notre Dame has everything that I want in a school," Thom told Blue & Gold Illustrated before making his de- cision public. "Academics are very im- portant to my family and me. Having the highest academics while also com- mitting to a program that is competing for national championships is exactly why I want to be here. "It's a dream come true, and I'm ex- cited to get there in January. My family and I are still in shock as it all happened so fast. This is all really insane." On June 9, Thom participated in a Notre Dame evaluation camp and im- pressed the coaching staff. Notre Dame offered him a scholarship nine days later, and it became clear that the Irish would be the team to beat in the recruit- ment with Penn State the other main contender. He informed head coach Marcus Freeman, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph of his commitment during his official visit June 20-22. "I knew I would commit before I even got out there," Thom added. "They were all really happy and hyped when I told them I was committing." Rudolph acquired commitment No. 5 a t h i s p o s i t i o n group June 18 when Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College tackle Grayson McKeogh ve r b a l ly p l e d ge d to the Irish. Notre Dame still contin- ued its pursuit of Thom, and it would've taken a disaster for him to not end up with the Irish. "Notre Dame means a lot to my fam- ily, and I have been a fan my whole life because of my mom," added Thom, whose mother graduated from the uni- versity. "Being able to get the offer and commit here means so much." Being a part of a six-man offensive line class doesn't concern Thom. "They don't care, and they want me there. I'm not bothered by it either," he said. "The Notre Dame O-line room and the team as a whole cares about team glory. The team comes first, always. We're going to be a class of guys who are going to push each other every day and always put the team first." Since mid-May, Thom has added a handful of Power Four offers, includ- ing Michigan State, Nebraska, Stanford, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. The three- star prospect and No. 30 offensive tackle nationally per Rivals camped at Penn State June 6 and earned an offer that day. Thom previously played tight end and has transitioned to offensive tackle, which explains his late emergence on the recruiting trail. He has been clocked at 5.06 in the 40-yard dash and posted a 9-foot, 3-inch broad jump. The three-star prospect's high school journey is reminiscent of Joe Alt's, who was a high school tight end before switching to offensive tackle prior to his senior year. Alt was a first-round pick after a dominant career at Notre Dame. "I was more of a blocking tight end at Darien [his last high school]," Thom told Blue White Illustrated. "I had the athlet- icism and frame that [Avon head coach Jon Wholley] had seen before in kids who did the switch. He recommended the change, and it's all paid off." Irish quarterbacks coach Gino Gui- dugli visited Thom's high school a year ago, which is when Notre Dame's inter- est began. He was still playing tight end at the time, but after transferring high schools and making the move to offensive tackle, he saw his recruitment ramp up between the two parties. Thom notes that he's been communicating with Rudolph for the past couple of months. Thom was a senior in 2024-25 at Darien but reclassified to the 2026 class with his move to Avon. He will enroll early at Notre Dame in January 2026. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE CHARLIE THOM High-Upside Offensive Tackle Recruit Picks Notre Dame Over Penn State FILM ANALYSIS "Charlie Thom is a super interesting offen- sive tackle prospect. He was a high school tight end and took a prep year to make the transition to offensive tackle. You have to love the way he moves at tackle. I'm looking for- ward to seeing game film of him playing at the position. Based on his workout videos and what we've seen so far, it's very encouraging. "He has a huge frame and is athletic — his movement skills with that frame are impres- sive. This is a high-upside, developmental of- fensive tackle. This is the kind of take that could pay dividends down the line. Notre Dame has had a lot of success with these types of offensive tackle prospects. "He certainly bolsters Notre Dame's offen- sive line class. He's a stock-up prospect. In watching Thom's film as a tight end, I like his movement skills." — Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power Thom, a three-star recruit and the No. 30 offen- sive tackle in the 2026 class per Rivals, hasn't taken a high school snap on the O-line but is committed to the Irish for the position. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER/ON3 "Notre Dame means a lot to my family, and I have been a fan my whole life because of my mom [a Notre Dame grad]." THOM