Notre Dame football makes top group for Five-Star pass rusher, and Al Washington has a chance to make a much needed statement
From the very beginning, Notre Dame has valued Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park pass rusher Rodney Dunham in a big way for the 2026 recruiting class. Now considered a five-star on the On3 Consensus ranking, the North Carolina star is continuing to do his homework on the top programs on his list.
On Sunday, Dunham trimmed down his list to five schools. The Fighting Irish made that list. They will now continue to fight with Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Duke for his services. Dunham is eyeing a summer decision.
While defensive line coach Al Washington has some good things on the edges in terms of recruiting, he is still fighting the stigma around not being able to sign five-stars. Bryce Young was viewed as an easy pull, but Dunham won’t be.
If Notre Dame is able to land Dunham in the end, that would be a statement victory. He’s a tremendous player from a state where the Irish are having more and more success. It feels like a huge opportunity.
Dunham is considered to be a consensus four-star recruit by every major recruiting platform, and is just about a Top-50 overall player by platform as well. 247Sports is the highest on Dunham, currently ranked as the No. 9 overall player and No. 2 EDGE defender in the 2026 recruiting class. That ranking also has Dunham sitting as the No. 2 player in the state of North Carolina, a very important area for the Irish.
There are several prominent programs that are continuing to push for Dunham. The 6-4, 228-pound defensive end currently holds offers from the Fighting Irish, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Florida State among many other schools.
As a junior in 2024, Dunham recorded 29 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, 16 quarterback hurries, one forced fumble, and a blocked kick for Myers Park. Dunham is also an outstanding baseball player for his school, and is eyeing options to play both on the college level.
