On a recent edition of Inside ND Sports’ weekly YouTube show Football Never Sleeps, former Notre Dame offensive lineman Bob Morton didn’t spare the superlatives when talking about the current state of the Irish offensive line position group.
“When I look at the top 10 linemen wearing the blue and gold right now,” the former Willingham/Weis Era starter said, “I think they’re the best two-deep Notre Dame has had — maybe — ever.”
On Wednesday the more-distant future of that position group got a big boost as well — and ahead of schedule, no less — as Rivals250/four-star offensive tackle Grayson McKeogh became verbal commitment No 5 in the Irish 2026 class among O-linemen and No. 17 overall.
And just a little over three years after he was playing wide receiver in middle school.
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The 6-foot-8, 265-pound McKeogh, then switched positions each of the past three offseasons, with the 2024 at LaSalle College High School in Wyndmoor, Pa., near Philadelphia being his first playing on the offensive line.
He joins previously committed Tyler Merrlll, Ben Nichols, Gregory Patrick and Sullivan Garvin in the 2026 Irish O-line haul. All five are four-star prospects and all but Garvin sit in the current Rivals250.
McKeogh is the No. 210 prospect regardless of position in the 2026 class, the No. 23 offensive tackle and No. 4 recruit in the state of Pennsylvania.
The Irish hope to add McKeogh’s high school teammate, four-star safety Joey O’Brien on Friday, when the state’s No. 3 prospect (and No. 136 overall) makes his college choice from among ND, Penn State, Clemson and Oregon..
McKeogh had previously announced a decision date of July 1, with an official visit to finalist Texas set for this coming weekend to help give him some clarity on whether to commit to the Irish, the Longhorns or home-state Penn State.
Apparently he got enough clarity on his official visit to ND this past weekend.
The commitment of McKeogh pushed Notre Dame’s 2026 class to the No. 2 spot in the Rivals recruiting team rankings. The Irish moved up from a tie at No. 5 with Texas A&M and behind No. 1 USC, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Clemson.
McKeogh moved to tight end as a high school freshman, then played defensive end as a sophomore — the position played at LaSalle College High and at Penn State by All-American Abdul Carter, who the Irish faced in the College Football Playoff semis in January.
Brett Gordon then took over the head coaching position at LaSalle College High in January of 2024 and convinced McKeogh his best path to playing college football at the FBS level was as a left offensive tackle. So, the move was made, albeit a little hesitantly at first.
And after the Explorers went 10-1 in under Gordon in 2024, McKeogh’s stock with college scouts and coaches began to skyrocket.
On March 27 Notre Dame jumped into the picture with a scholarship offer, one of 25 reported offers that, beyond the three finalists, included notably Alabama, Florida, Ohio State and Ole Miss.
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