Notre Dame Commit Profile: Defensive End Rodney Dunham

Notre Dame picked up a huge commitment from 2026 defensive end Rodney Dunham. A highly ranked recruit at a position of need, Dunham meets several major needs for Notre Dame. Let's take a look at the commit profile for Dunham, who is the 9th player to commit to Noter Dame in the class.

RODNEY DUNHAM PROFILE

Hometown/High School: Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park

Height/Weight: 6-4, 225

IB Grade: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0

Player Comp: Khalid Kareem, Notre Dame 

Recruited By: Al Washington

Offers: Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Florida State, Texas A&M, Oregon, South Carolina, Missouri, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Duke, Northwestern

RECRUITING RANKINGS

On3: 4-star - No. 7 overall - No. 3 edge
247Sports: 4-star - No. 14 overall - No. 2 edge
ESPN: 4-star - No. 57 overall - No. 6 defensive end
Rivals: 4-star - No. 127 overall - No. 11 edge
On3 Consensus: 5-star - No. 19 overall - No. 3 edge
247Sports Composite: 4-star - No. 33 overall - No. 4 edge

NOTRE DAME FIT

At 6-4 and 225 pounds with impressive athletic skills, Dunham could have a chance to play the weakside/Vyper position in the Irish defense. But with his massive frame, power potential and style of play he also projects extremely well - if not better - at the defensive end position. Notre Dame wants/need a strong, stout, all-around end that can dominate the run and rush the passer, and Dunham has all the tools to get to that point during his college career.

FILM ANALYSIS

Dunham has an outstanding frame, possessing the length Notre Dame wants on the edge, but he also has the kind of broad shouldered, thick lower half frame to add a lot of really good weight and strength. He's a two-sport player in high school, shining as a pitcher during the spring. That has limited his ability to maximize his frame and strength, as he has to focus in the spring more on endurance and flexibility as a pitcher. Once he gets to college and becomes focused more and more on football you'll see him fill out really well, both from a size standpoint and a strength/power standpoint. That's partly why his upside grade is so high.

Athletically, Dunham has all the tools to be a big time player. His explosiveness off the ball stands out when he stays low and fires out of his stance. He is a flexible athlete that can change direction effectively, he can bend when working through offensive tackles. I love his closing speed to the football, whether its working past a tackle to the quarterback or working to the ball carrier in the run game.

Right now Dunham is a player who needs a lot of technical work and there are several aspects where he is still raw as a player. Part of what makes him such an intriguing prospect is that while his technical development needs work he is a very instinctive and smart football player. He gets his hands on a lot of passes because he's long, but also because he can make good reads on the quarterback. He's pretty disciplined as a player and he makes really good reads in the run game. As the technical parts catch up to this, and as he continues to get bigger and stronger he has every tool needed to become a dominant college edge player.