Notre Dame’s edge room is starting to look like the kind of problem a coach wants.
Charlie Partridge, who replaced Al Washington as the Irish’s defensive line coach, has watched Alabama transfer Keon Keeley make a noticeable jump in fall camp after arriving on campus in the spring. Keeley, once committed to Notre Dame in the 2023 recruiting cycle, is no longer just learning the ropes. He’s starting to look comfortable enough to show why the Irish wanted him in the first place.
“He’s really embraced the playbook,” Partridge said about Keeley. “Not that he didn’t in the spring, but we do a lot.
It’s all new language. I was doing it, too.
You tend to translate your words... He's past that now and playing faster.
Now, you're starting to see his talent shine. It's hard for your talent to really shine when you're thinking on so many levels.
That's where he was in the spring. Now you're starting to see him execute and cut it loose.
It's been fun to see his progress this camp.”
That development matters because Notre Dame has real depth at defensive end, and the competition is getting tighter by the day. Senior Boubacar Traore and junior Bryce Young are still the names at the top of the room, but Keeley has pushed himself into the conversation along with LT [ Loghan Thomas ] and Rodney [ Dunham ].
“Right now, you would say they're our top two,” Partridge answered when asked if Traore and Young were the top two guys in the room. “There's significant improvement by them, but also by Keon, LT [ Loghan Thomas ] and Rodney [ Dunham ] is certainly in the mix right there.
The other guys are in the developmental phase. But we feel good about those five right now.”
The Irish entered the offseason needing help up front after graduation losses and a career-ending injury, and Marcus Freeman’s staff also had to replace Washington. Freeman turned to the transfer portal for immediate answers, and Keeley is one of the additions that could matter right away.
Notre Dame’s defense is expected to be a major force on the way to a 12th national title, and defensive end remains one of those critical spots that has to hold up through the regular season and into the postseason. This group, from top to bottom, looks like Notre Dame’s most talented edge rotation since 2019, and Keeley’s growth only raises the ceiling. Now the challenge is turning all that talent into production.
In Other News...
Jeremiyah Loves Fast NFL Start Just Took A Troubling Turn
Jeremiyah Loves encouraging start in Arizona hit a snag in the Cardinals preseason game against the Raiders, when the former Notre Dame running back came away with an ankle injury. For a player trying to carve out a role early, every practice and exhibition snap matters, and this one has put his momentum on hold at an inconvenient time.
Mike LaFleur said Love has been dealing with more soreness than the team anticipated, and he will not practice this week while Arizona waits to see how the ankle responds. The Cardinals plan to revisit his status after that, but the immediate picture is murky enough to leave his availability for the season opener in doubt, with little reason to expect him in the rest of the preseason. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Keeps Poking Notre Dame Fans Know How This Usually Ends
Curt Cignetti has a way of turning scheduling talk into a little more fuel for a rivalry that already carries plenty of history. The Indiana coach recently weighed in on the canceled home-and-home series with Notre Dame, suggesting the Irish should come play more often in Bloomington because they are not tied to a conference schedule, and it added another wrinkle to a series that has long tilted toward South Bend.
For Notre Dame fans, the backdrop is hard to ignore. Indiana has spent years trying to make noise in the matchup, but the Irish have usually been the ones with the upper hand, and the teams even crossed paths in the 2024 College Football Playoff. With Indiana now having canceled future games with Notre Dame, Cignettis comments only sharpen the sense that this border-state tension is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]