2026 OL Charlie Thom Explains Notre Dame Commitment

A year ago, Charlie Thom‍ would have had trouble imagining where his recruitment would end up.

Shoot, two months ago, the 2026 Connecticut offensive lineman wouldn’t have envisioned it ending with him announcing a commitment to Notre Dame, his mother’s alma mater, on Tuesday.

But that’s exactly what happened.

“It was really just like a whirlwind of recruiting,” said the 6-foot-7, 275-pounder, who only had offers from Army, Air Force, Monmouth and Sacred Heart at the start of May before adding several Power-4 offers.

Thom would go on to take official visits to Boston College, Penn State and Notre Dame before settling on his decision.

“It was really quick and it was crazy how it just sort of picked up out of nowhere,” the Avon Old Farms prospect said. “I know I was working hard all offseason. I think it was just a testament to the hard work I put it in and the people who supported me to get to where I am now.”

When the Notre Dame offer came last week, the Irish were seen as legitimate contenders. He’d been to South Bend three times for games as a youngster and earned the offer a week earlier when he returned for a camp ahead of his official.

“I've loved it forever,” he said. “Everything about my visit was just amazing; the stadium, coaches were great to me and I really connected with Coach (Joe) Rudolph and Coach (Rob) Delaney. It was just a great visit overall.

“They just really made my family and I feel comfortable there. We had a lot of time to talk together. I also just bonded really well with the players who are there right now.”

Seeing that bond meant a lot to Thom.

“I think it's really important because the environment that the coaches are creating and the guys they're bringing in; being able to bond with them and almost feel like they're my teammates is really important to me,” he said.

Thom played tight end at Darien High School before deciding to do a post-grad year at Avon Old Farms to make the transition to offensive line, a move he believes the Irish will be able to help with as well.

“Obviously with Joe Alt, they've had a history of turning tight ends into offensive linemen,” he said. “I know Coach Rudolph has had experience with that at Notre Dame and also at the other places he's coached at. I think he's a reputable guy to sort of transform me from what I was before to what I'm going to be now.”

Overall, Thom couldn’t be much happier with how everything turned out.

“It's insane. There's no other words that really describe it. It's just a dream come true.”

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