That Rodney Dunham floated his college decision date publicly a few days after an unofficial recruiting visit to Notre Dame that wowed him is an encouraging sign for the Irish football program.
Head coach Marcus Freeman and company won’t have to wait too long to find out if the two events on the four-star edge defender’s recruiting timeline are related. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound defensive end (reported now to be 230) from Myers Park High in Charlotte, N.C., will make that announcement on April 10 at 4 p.m. — two days before the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium.
The other four finalists for the nation’s No. 121 player nationally in the 2026 class and 11th at his position are Duke, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
“I love him," offered longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of the Prep Football Report. "I saw him as a freshman, sophomore and a junior at my Cardinal Gibbons get-togethers in Raleigh. He’s not a five-star yet. He’s a high four-star with the potential to be a five-star.
“He looks the part, and he’d be the biggest catch they’ve had in a long time as a defensive lineman. He has real quick feet and real good moves to the ball. I think you’ll see his production start to reflect that more this coming season.”
Last weekend’s visit for Dunham and his family to Notre Dame was Dunham’s second. He also came to South Bend on April 13, 2024, and he has an official visit penciled in for the weekend of June 13-15.
Notre Dame currently ranked No. 9 in the Rivals 2026 team recruiting rankings, with seven commitments. Five of those seven play offense. Dunham would be the first defensive lineman in the class.
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