Notre Dame five-star EDGE target Rodney Dunham announces commitment date
The Notre Dame football program is on pace to achieve one of its most monumental recruiting victories within the last 13 years.
On Tuesday, On3 national recruiting reporter Hayes Fawcett reported that five-star EDGE Rodney Dunham out of Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park plans to announce his verbal commitment on April 10. According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Dunham is the No. 19 overall player, No. 3 EDGE nationally and No. 3 recruit in North Carolina in the 2026 class.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Dunham will pick between his five finalists: Notre Dame, Duke, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. The Irish are trending for Dunham after he unofficially visited campus on March 22.
“My visit to South Bend was amazing,” Dunham told On3 vice president of recruiting and transfer portal Steve Wiltfong. “What continues to excite me is just the place and the people. “Great school with great football and great people. It doesn’t get better than Notre Dame.”
If Dunham picks Notre Dame and maintains his five-star status when rankings are finalized next February, he would be the first On3 Industry Ranking five-star to sign with Notre Dame since it added two in the 2013 class. The Irish signed linebacker Jaylon Smith and safety Max Redfield that year.
Notre Dame dominant recruiting North Carolina under coach Marcus Freeman
Under Freeman, the Irish have regularly excelled in recruiting the top prospects in North Carolina. Freeman signed six high school recruits from the Tar Heel State in his first three cycles.
It began in the 2023 cycle when Notre Dame added two offensive linemen: Belmont (N.C.) South Point four-star Sullivan Absher and Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan three-star Sam Pendleton. They ranked as the state’s Nos. 8 and 16 players, respectively, in the On3 Industry Ranking.
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Absher was also the No. 270 overall player and No. 18 offensive tackle nationally in the class, while Pendleton ranked No. 431 overall and No. 34 interior offensive lineman. Pendleton transferred to Tennessee this offseason after losing his starting job with the Irish midway through the season.
Then, in 2024, Notre Dame cleaned up in Charlotte, signing Charlotte Christian teammates, four-stars wide receiver Micah Gilbert and EDGE Bryce Young, and Charlotte Catholic three-star tight end Jack Larsen. They ranked as the On3 Industry Ranking’s Nos. 1, 8 and 17 players in the state, respectively.
Young — the son of former Irish All-America defensive lineman Bryant Young — is the highest-ranked recruit in the group, checking in at No. 56 overall and the No. 8 EDGE in the country. Gilbert was the No. 230 overall player and No. 41 wide receiver, and Larsen finished as the No. 519 overall and the No. 32 tight end.
In 2025, the Irish beat out Michigan and Penn State for Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor four-star safety JaDon Blair. He was the No. 114 overall player, No. 11 safety in America and No. 5 recruit in North Carolina.
Notre Dame is already off to a hot start in the 2026 class. On Nov. 12, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington four-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. pledged to the Irish. The 6-2, 210-pound thumper is the No. 9 recruit in the Tar Heel State, the No. 9 linebacker in the nation and the No. 166 overall player all in 2026.
