Elite Defensive End Rodney Dunham Commits To Notre Dame

Notre Dame has landed a massive commitment with the announcement from Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park defensive end Rodney Dunham had pledged to play for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame beat out Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Duke to land this big time edge.

Notre Dame has been recruiting Dunham for almost two years, and he's been a top priority throughout his recruitment. The Irish staff has been focusing on adding length, athleticism and high upside talent on the edge since Marcus Freeman arrived, and Dunham gives that to the 2026 class. Landing a prospect that is considered one of the nation's best overall players is also a huge recruiting win for Al Washington, who spent a lot of time building the kind of connection with Dunham that was needed to win this recruitment.

The 6-4, 225-pound defensive lineman is a dominant two-sport star for Myers Mark. Over the last two seasons he racked up 94 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and 36 pressures as a standout defensive end. Dunham is also a talented pitcher for Myers Park that went 3-0 with a 1.75 earned run average as a sophomore.

Dunham has an impressive blend of length, explosiveness and flexibility. His game is still evolving from a technical standpoint, but his instincts and feel for playmaking is quite impressive. Dunham is a rangy edge player that could play either end spot, but with his frame he has a very good chance to grow into more of a power pass rusher at the next level. His potential as a pass rusher is immense, but what makes Dunham such a high level prospect is that he is already a dominant run defender thanks to his length and ability to beat blocks. Once he adds more strength his ability to control the edge at the next level should be a key part of his game.

The Myers Park star earned 5.0-star upside grade on the Irish Breakdown board and he grades out as a Top 75 caliber prospect. Dunham is ranked as one of the nation's top players according to the recruiting services. He's ranked as the No. 7 player in the country according to On3 and he's a five-star prospect that is ranked as the No. 14 player in the country according to 247Sports. On3 ranks him as the third best edge in the class and he's the second best edge according to 247Sports.

Dunham earned offers from Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Florida State, Texas A&M, Oregon, South Carolina, Missouri, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Duke and Northwestern.

Dunham is the ninth player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2026 class, joining Florida quarterback Noah Grubbs, Florida wide receiver Dylan Faison, Pennsylvania offensive lineman Tyler Merrill, Michigan offensive linemen Ben Nichols and Sullivan Garvin, North Carolina edge Ebenezer Ewetade, North Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. and Tennessee cornerback Chaston Smith.