Notre Dame Commit Profile: Offensive Lineman Charlie Thom

Notre Dame added yet another talented offensive lineman to its 2026 recruiting class by landing a commitment from Charlie Thom. The Connecticut offensive lineman picked Notre Dame over Penn State and Boston College. Let's take a look at the recruiting profile for Thom.

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CHARLIE THOM PROFILE

Hometown/High School: Avon, Conn./Avon Old Farms

Height/Weight: 6-6, 270

IB Grade: 3.0 (Top 500 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)

Player Comp: Taylor Dever, Notre Dame

Recruited By: Joe Rudolph

Offers: Notre Dame, Penn State, Nebraska, Boston College, Michigan State, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

RECRUITING RANKINGS

On3: 3-star - No. 62 OT
247Sports: 3-star - No. 74 OT
247Sports Composite: 3-star - No. 853 overall - No. 72 OT
On3 Consensus: 3-star - No. 1161 overall - No. 92 OT

NOTRE DAME FIT

Thom has played tight end throughout his high school career, but over the last year he has filled out quite a bit physically. He'll spend a graduate season at Avon Old Farms transitioning to offensive tackle. At this point its a bit of a guess how he'll look at offensive tackle, but he's impressed programs like Notre Dame and Penn State with how he looked at the position during the summer. What Thom does possess are plenty of attributes you want in a tackle. He's very long and he's a quality athlete, which is why he was able to play tight end during his high school career. He's a solid blocker in the run game as a tight end, so the run game transition should be smooth. Where he'll need to learn the most is in pass pro, but there is a lot of potential with Thom at the position.

FILM ANALYSIS

Thom has seen a lot of growth over the last two years. As a junior he was a long and relatively skinny player that didn't really look like a young player who would be 270-plus pounds in about a year. He has always had good length, but the mass wasn't there until this past season. That growth is what vaulted him from a player who didn't even warrant a recruiting grade from the national services - and one with a very limited offer list - to a player who after his senior season was picking between Notre Dame and Penn State. Now, at 270 pounds, Thom is much closer to the weight he'll need to be to play offensive line. He has a solid frame that should allow him to gain plenty of weight as he makes this transition. There's nothing about his frame that keeps me from comfortably predicting he'll get to over 300 pounds in college. As a prep school player he's older than most 2026 prospects, but there's still plenty of room for him to fill out.

Thom will also need to get a lot stronger. He's a good blocker as a high school player, but Thom will need to become more physical at the point of attack. Consistency will be the key here, as Thom flashes moments where he fires off and gets really good movement, but he'll need to show he can do that snap after snap. Adding a lot more weight room strength will give him a big boost, and it will also help him fill out his frame.

Where Thom has impressed college coaches is the athleticism he shows at his size. He has maintained pretty good athleticism despite adding a good amount of weight over the last year. His foot quickness is impressive, which you see as a route runner for Darien High School, where he played his first four years of high school. Route running isn't something I expect to talk about when evaluating an offensive lineman, but that's part of what makes Thom unique. He is a smooth athlete that shows the kind of burst off the line you want in an offensive lineman. You get to see some of his short-area athleticism when he pulls either on counter plays or split zone. He has to learn to strike with more authority, but he gets where he wants to go with really good quickness.

Thom is a project, there's no doubt about it. He has never played offensive line and he spent a lot of time at tight end playing in the slot or outside. He certainly has loads of experience playing in wing alignments, but it wasn't a full time situation. He caught over 30 passes for over 400 yards as a senior, so he wasn't just a blocking tight end. That's what makes him so intriguing. He's incredibly raw right now and I have legitimate questions about his power, which is why he's a 3.0-star player right now. He also has almost no film in pass protection, especially using the technique you want in an offensive tackle

But you also can't deny the impressive frame and athleticism he shows on film. He's the epitome of a boom or bust player. If the gamble on Thom pays off it will be because he turns into a long (6-6 to 6-7), athletic blocker that is well over 300 pounds. His athleticism will remain, the size will come, the power will come and he'll turn into a big time pass blocking edge player. The tools are there for that, which is why he also earned a 4.5-star upside grade.