Perhaps the best choice of Charlie Thom's football career came when he decided to enroll at Avon (Conn.) Old Farms for a post-graduate season of high school football before making the jump to college.
That helped put him in the position to make the decision he did Tuesday when he announced his verbal commitment to Notre Dame. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound Thom made an official visit to Notre Dame this past weekend after receiving an Irish scholarship offer earlier in the week.
Thom picked Notre Dame over the likes of Penn State, Boston College, Stanford, Syracuse, Nebraska and Wake Forest. All those scholarship offers came Thom's way after he announced he would be reclassifying to become a 2026 recruit.
SUBSCRIBE TO INSIDE ND SPORTS TO STAY IN THE KNOW ON NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS
More Content
► Notre Dame football makes first 2027 quarterback offers
► DB Joey O'Brien adds to Notre Dame recruiting hot streak, with room to grow
► Notre Dame wins recruiting battle with Penn State for elite CB Khary Adams
► Notre Dame football summer rumblings
► Four-star OT Grayson McKeogh moves up commitment date, picks Notre Dame
Notre Dame offered Thom on Tuesday last week after he participated in an Evaluation Camp with the Irish earlier this month. The Irish continued to pursue him despite four-star offensive tackle Grayson McKeogh giving Notre Dame on Wednesday its fifth verbal commitment from offensive lineman in the 2026 class.
Thom played the role of oversized tight end in his senior season at Darien (Conn.) High. He caught 33 passes for 407 yards and five touchdowns. But Thom’s college future will be as an offensive lineman. An extra season of high school football will allow him to continue to grow and play as a full-time offensive tackle.
Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph saw the vision for what Thom could become after working him out on campus this month. Boston College and Penn State were starting to push for Thom and hosted him for official visits, but Thom sided with Notre Dame, the program he's been a fan of since childhood.
The addition of Thom gives Notre Dame 21 commitments in the 2026 class, which is ranked No. 2 in the country. Thom is the only Irish pledge who has yet to be rated and/or ranked by Rivals. That should change soon following his commitment to the Irish.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO INSIDE ND SPORTS ON YOUTUBE
"Obviously, making the switch to tackle means he will have to fine-tune his technique — you would like to see him tweak his stance and play with a lower pad level, and he is obviously stll learning the fundamentals of the position, but all of that comes with coaching," said Rivals national analyst Ryan O'Bleness. "With that said, his size at 6-foot-7, 275 pounds with nearly an 80-inch wingspan is what you covet in an offensive tackle.
"His athleticim stands out, which makes sense as a former tight end. He is strong in his blocking and can get out and move to get to the second level. He has the raw traits that you look for and his potentially is extremely high if he can develop into a true tackle. I don't have many concerns with him as a run-blocker, but I am curious to see how he handles pass-blocking sets.
"He also has high football IQ and excels in the classroom with a 3.6 grade point average. Also, my understanding is kid who grew up as a Fighting Irish fan and wants to be at Notre Dame for the right reasons.
"It will obviously take some time for Thom to develop. However, Notre Dame has a loaded offensive line class in 2026 already and taking a player with developmental upside makes a lot of sense."
Notre Dame's first three commitments on the offensive line came from recruits who are most likely to play on the interior for the Irish: four-star recruits Sullivan Garvin, Ben Nichols and Tyler Merrill. That trio joined Notre Dame's class in December and January. Four-star offensive tackle Gregory Patrick, who committed in April, could be an interior lineman or tackle in the future. McKeogh and Thom are most likely to play tackle due to their size and athleticism.
Notre Dame hasn't since six offensive lineman in the same recruiting class since 2006 under head coach Charlie Weis. That class included five-star recruit Sam Young, four-star recruits Eric Olsen, Chris Stewart, Daniel Wenger and Matt Carufel and three-star recruit Bartley Webb. Young and Olsen became sixth-round picks in the 2010 NFL Draft.
---------------------------------------------------------------
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports channel on YouTube.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND and @TJamesND.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsports
