Notre Dame Commit Keon Keeley Now Ranked As The Nation's No. 3 Recruit
Notre Dame defensive end commit Keon Keeley got some big news today when On3 moved him up to No. 3 overall in the 2023 class rankings. The Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep star has continued a steady climb up the rankings over the last several months following a brilliant junior season.
Keeley racked up 61 tackles, 34 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks during his junior season, which included a nationally televised performance against Isidore Newman in New Orleans, the home of quarterback Arch Manning, who On3 has as the No. 1 player in the country. In that contest Keeley sacks Manning twice and also intercepted a pass in the 49-24 Berkeley Prep victory.
At 6-6 and 230 pounds, Keeley has truly elite length for the Vyper position in the Notre Dame defense. What makes him special, however, is his combination of length, elite athleticism for his size and a very high football IQ. The scary part is that Keeley still has plenty of room to enhance his game and he'll continue to add good weight and strength onto his frame.
Keeley isn't the only On3 five-star recruit on the board for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are the current leader for Rock Island (Ill.) Bishop Alleman offensive tackle Charles Jagusah, who was ranked as the nation's No. 7 overall recruit in the latest On3 release.
Notre Dame is expected to get a spring visit from Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek five-star safety Caleb Downs, who checked in at No. 13 today in the On3 release of its five-star recruits.
Here is my film breakdown of Keeley:
I loved Keeley's talent and potential as a sophomore, but as a junior he already started to tap into his five-star potential, which is why he jumped up to a 5-star prospect on my board.
The first thing that stands out about Keeley is his elite length and frame. He's listed at 6-6 and 230 pounds, but he's still on the thin side and has a young body. Keeley has the frame that should allow him to get to at least 245-250 pounds by the time he enrolls at Notre Dame. Keeley has exceptional length, possessing arms that are as long as I've seen from a high school prospect, especially one as young as he is at this point.
As a junior he showed improved power, and there is still plenty of room for improvement and development there. When he comes off with good pad level and shoots his hands he can rock blockers back and even the longest of tackles can struggle to keep hands on. These traits combine with his athleticism to make Keeley an effective edge run defender.
Keeley shows an explosive burst off the edge, and it took a jump as a junior. He can blow past offensive tackles with his first step, but despite being so long he can get low and bend around the edge, and I am incredibly impressed with his natural feel for winning on the edge. There are things the elite pass rushers just do naturally, and we saw that from Keeley throughout his junior season.
Keeley gets on quarterbacks in a hurry and he arrived with a great deal more force as a junior, which five-star quarterback Arch Manning learned first hand in a head-to-head matchup this season. Keeley is a nimble and smooth athlete that possesses impressive foot quickness and balance. He has all the traits needed to eventually learn and master a wide array of pass rush moves.
The Berkeley Prep star has an impressive football IQ for a player his age. He makes quick reads, gets his hands up quickly when he sees quick game and when he loses a pass rush he does a great job of getting his eyes on the quarterback and trying to use his length to get his hands on the ball.
What's scary is that he still has plenty of room to continue growing, improving his technique and to improve his game despite already being a five-star prospect. If he continues to progress he'll end up being the best edge player to sign with Notre Dame since Aaron Lynch. The difference is Keeley is already ahead of where Lynch and Stephon Tuitt - the other elite five-star from that 2011 - were as juniors.
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Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
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