Charlie Thom

Physical Profile

Prototype left-tackle dimensions: 6'6¼" measured, 270-275 lbs as a senior with visible room on the frame, now listed at 6-7 and 280-295 as a Notre Dame freshman after adding 15 pounds between December and spring alone. Long-limbed with a natural 310-320 lb projection without losing movement. Tested 5.0-5.1 in the 40 and 9-plus feet in the broad jump at that size — legitimate lower-body explosion for the position, and the broad jump number is the more meaningful of the two for a tackle. Evaluators consistently cite bend as the separator: 'He's got a frame and he can bend. He's very athletic... he has great agility... explosive' (Avon Old Farms coach John Wholley). The tight end background shows up in short-area body control and balance in space rather than in raw play strength, which is the clear lagging trait.

Play Style

A movement tackle, not a maulor. On film he plays with light feet and a wide, athletic base, mirroring edge speed comfortably and showing real recovery quickness when he's beaten off the snap — he can catch up in a way most 6-7 linemen cannot. In the run game he is at his best on reach blocks, zone climbs and anything asking him to move laterally or work to the linebacker level; he is much less comfortable being asked to displace a defender straight off the ball. Pad level rises late in reps, and he still leans and grabs rather than resetting his hands, which is the classic converted-TE tell. What stands out is that he does not play scared of contact despite the position change — the toughness is there ahead of the technique.

Strengths

• Elite movement skills for a 6-7 lineman — the TE background is real, not a talking point. He can pull, climb to the second level and redirect on the move without the stiffness typical of converted big men, and the 9-foot broad jump backs up the film's explosiveness through contact.
• Ankle and knee flex that is genuinely rare at his height. Most 6-7 high school tackles play upright and lose the leverage battle by default; Thom can sink his hips and stay in his stance, which is what turned a spring camp circuit into a Notre Dame offer in three months.
• Rare developmental runway with a proven growth curve. He added 15 lbs from December to spring 2025 and another 10-20 since arriving on campus while keeping his testing numbers — a strength staff gets a lean 270-lb athlete to build up rather than a maxed-out 300-lb body to reshape.
• Multi-sport competitive base — starting defenseman for Darien's nationally ranked lacrosse program. That footwork, hand usage in space and hand-eye coordination transfer directly to pass sets, and the 2025 NEPSAC Class A Lineman of the Year and First Team All-New England honors confirm he dominated once he learned the position.

Areas to Improve

• Play strength and anchor. He is a converted pass-catcher who has never carried functional 300-lb power — bull rushers and heavy-handed 3-techniques will walk him back until he adds 25-35 lbs of usable mass. This is the single gate on his playing time.
• Technical rep count. One season at tackle means hand placement, timing of the punch, pass-set depth and second-level angles are all unrefined. He wins on athleticism against New England prep competition in ways that will not work against SEC/Big Ten interior speed-to-power.
• Run-game finishing and sustain. He gets to his block and positions well, but drive-blocking and finishing through the whistle are underdeveloped — a strength and pad-level issue, not a want-to issue; coaches specifically praise his competitive and mental toughness.
• Competition level. NEPSAC prep football, even Class A, does not stress a tackle the way a national high school schedule does. His Notre Dame spring reps against the Irish's defensive depth are a far more meaningful data point than any high school tape.

College Projection

Redshirt as a true freshman is the overwhelming likelihood, and that is the correct outcome, not a disappointment. He arrived at Notre Dame in 2026 into an exceptionally deep offensive line room and is being developed for the long game — the staff's stated focus is across-the-board growth rather than early depth-chart climbing, though he was reportedly holding up better than expected against Irish defensive depth by spring. Realistic timeline: year one redshirt as a developmental body, year two swing/backup tackle and special-teams-eligible depth, year three competing for a starting job at left or right tackle. Ceiling is a multi-year Power Four starter at left tackle by 2029-30; floor is a quality swing tackle. The variable is entirely whether the strength program can get him to 315 without costing him the bend that got him recruited.

NFL Outlook

Legitimate long-term draftable traits, but any projection now is a bet on development rather than production. Height, arm length, bend and testing explosion are the athletic profile NFL teams pay for at left tackle, and the fact that he was still learning the position as a senior means his growth curve has barely started. If he reaches 315-320 lbs with his current movement intact and starts two-plus years at Notre Dame, he profiles as a Day 2 conversation in the 2030-31 range. He is not a prospect to grade off this year's tape — the honest read is a wide outcome distribution, from undrafted developmental camp body to first-round athletic upside, resolved almost entirely by strength gains and rep accumulation.

Best Fit

A zone-heavy, outside-and-wide-zone run scheme with play-action bootlegs — anything that asks him to move laterally, reach and climb rather than drive defenders off the ball. He needs a program with an established offensive line development track record, a top-tier strength staff and enough veteran depth to let him redshirt and take a full developmental year without being forced onto the field early. Notre Dame is close to an ideal landing spot on all three counts: an offensive line room deep enough to protect his timeline, a history of turning developmental linemen into NFL tackles, and family ties (his mother played club lacrosse at Notre Dame) that support a four-to-five-year commitment. The worst fit would be a thin, power-gap-based line room needing an immediate starter.