Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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78 MARCH 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY KYLE KELLY N otre Dame 2026 class offensive tackle recruit Charlie Thom did not just prove Jon Wholley right. He also proved him wrong. When Wholley added Thom to his program for a postgraduate season in the winter of 2025, the Avon (Conn.) Old Farms head coach believed he had uncovered a tight end-turned-offensive tackle who would likely top out at the FCS or Ivy League level. It did not take long to realize he had misjudged. During the 2025 offseason, Whol- ley brought in former UConn assistant coach Michael Foley to help train his of- fensive line. After working with Thom, Foley — a college offensive line coach for more than three decades — was con- vinced Wholley had found something special. "I remember Mike saying after, 'That kid's going to be an FBS Power Four player,'" Wholley told Blue & Gold Il- lustrated. "And I was pretty sure of that as he kept going and kept getting bigger and stronger." Wholley saw it for himself last spring. At an area college showcase, he filmed Thom during drills to help increase his exposure. By the end of the workout, Wholley knew he had found a gem. "When I looked at the videos of him doing those drills, I was like, 'Oh yeah, this kid's going to get a lot of attention,' because he was so athletic and so good in the drills," Wholley said. He was right. Multiple major programs came calling with scholarship offers afterward, in- cluding Notre Dame. But Irish offensive line coach Joe Rudolph wanted to evalu- ate Thom in person. The third-year Notre Dame assistant invited Thom to campus for an early June camp, where he impressed enough to spark internal discussion. After a few days of deliberation, the Irish opened an additional spot in their offensive line class and extended a scholarship offer. Thom, whose mother is a Notre Dame graduate, did not waste much time ac- cepting it. He committed during his June 20 official visit, initially doing so as the lowest-rated recruit in the class. That designation did not last long. Following his fifth and final high school season, Thom surged up the re- cruiting rankings. According to Rivals, he is now the No. 1 prospect in Connecti- cut, and the No. 21 offensive tackle and No. 228 overall player in the 2026 class. Wholley had a front-row seat to that rise. While Thom joins a crowded Notre Dame depth chart and remains a devel- opmental prospect, Wholley would not put a timeline on how long that label will apply. After all, he'd rather be right from the start. "Notre Dame is the best place in the world for offensive linemen, so I'm sure there are a lot of good players," Wholley said. "But when it's close, the advan- tage he has is that he's going to be as dependable as anyone you can count on. "I would be shocked if he's not a great player at Notre Dame and a pro someday, just based on his physical ability and his approach to the game and to life." ✦ Charlie Thom Had A Rapid Rise After Position Switch CHARLIE THOM OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-7 · 274 AVON OLD FARMS H.S. DARIEN, CONN. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪✪ 328 28 1 ✪✪✪✪ 228 21 1 ✪✪✪✪ 213 24 1 ✪✪✪ — 141 6 STATISTICS • Helped lead Avon Old Farms to a 10-0 season in 2025 and capped the campaign off with a win in the Drew Gamere Bowl. NOTABLE • Earned first-team All-Founders League and first-team All-New England accolades in 2025. • Named the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A Lineman of the Year in 2025. • Tabbed Connecticut High School Coaches As- sociation All-State, Walter Camp All-State, and New Haven Register All-State at tight end in 2023. • Has been clocked at 5.06 in the 40-yard dash and posted a 9-foot, 3-inch broad jump. • Attended Darien High before reclassifying to the 2026 class with his move to Avon Old Farms. • Transitioned from tight end to offensive tackle at Avon for the 2025 season. • His father, Douglas Thom, played football at Beloit College. • His mom, Allison Thom, played club lacrosse at Notre Dame and led the team to attain varsity status for women's lacrosse. • His brother, James Thom, plays football at Tufts University. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on June 24, 2025. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Officially visited Penn State before choosing the Irish. • Recruited by offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. • Visited Notre Dame three times, including his official visit on June 20, 2025. 2026 PROJECTION • Thom is likely to redshirt as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "Charlie Thom is a super interesting offensive tackle prospect. I love the way he moves at tackle. He has a huge frame and is athletic — his movement skills with that frame are impressive. This is a high- upside, developmental offensive 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. "Thom probably does look closer to Joe Alt in terms of where he's at in high school. He played both ways as a senior, and he needs a lot of devel- opment because he's new to the position. But he clearly has the athletic traits and moves well at his size. There are very encouraging indicators with his upside as a big guy who can move. He's a quality athlete." Thom played tight end at Darien (Conn.) High before he made the switch to offensive line and transferred to Avon (Conn.) Old Farms. PHOTO COURTESY DARIEN ATHLETICS