Alabama edge rusher Keon Keeley commits to transfer to Notre Dame

Alabama Crimson Tide edge rusher Keon Keeley commits to transfer to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, On3 has learned. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Keon Keeley played his high school football at Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Florida. He would be ranked as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023. Within that class, he was the second-ranked player overall and the top-ranked edge rusher. At one point, he would even be committed to playing for Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman, but would flip to Alabama.

In total, Keeley had offers from numerous Power Four schools. That included Florida, Ohio State, and Georgia, beyond just Notre Dame and Alabama. Coming out of high school, Charles Power wrote a scouting report on the star pass rusher.

“The top pass rushing prospect in the 2023 cycle, with advanced size, power, athleticism and technical ability. Shows high-end explosion and finishing ability behind the line of scrimmage. Has a big frame at around 6-foot-5, 245 pounds with good length (33 7/8 inch arms). Touts a strong first step, bursting off the ball and uses his length to create disruption off the edge. A technical, patient rusher who added moves throughout his high school career,” Power wrote of Keeley.

“Developed a spin move to go with quick hands as a senior. Displays strong closing speed and finishes plays behind the line of scrimmage at a high rate. Among the more productive pass rushers in the nation as a junior and senior, totaling 32.5 sacks over his final two seasons. Most comfortable rushing out of a two-point stance at this point. A violent finisher who delivers massive hits on opposing quarterbacks. Has the frame and play strength to develop into a plus run defender. Quickly generates momentum and converts speed to power as a pass rusher. Will need to continue improving his bend and flexibility as he’s more of a straight line rusher. Also a bouncy athlete with a basketball background. Capped of his high school career with an MVP performance throughout the week at the All-American Bowl.”

In 2023, Keeley would take a redshirt without playing in a game. He followed that up by playing in 19 games over the next couple of seasons. During that time, he had 19 total tackles, including 3.0 sacks. He also defended a pass. The vast majority of that production came during the 2025 season.

As a program, Notre Dame is coming off a season where the Irish went 10-2, but missed out on the College Football Playoff. They’ll be looking to address their roster and avoid giving the selection committee any excuses to exclude them moving forward. That, clearly, includes through the Transfer Portal.

This year, the Transfer Portal will remain open through January 16th. There will be no Spring window to enter.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.