Notre Dame football 2026 defensive end target Rodney Dunham visited campus on Saturday for his first look at the Irish since receiving an offer on Pot of Gold Day.
After striking up a relationship over the phone, Dunham, a four-star recruit out of Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park, made it a priority to check out Notre Dame and meet its coaching staff after taking visits earlier this spring to Duke and South Carolina.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Dunham is ranked as the No. 190 overall player and No. 10 weakside defensive end in the 2026 recruiting class. He reports nine total offers including Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
I caught up with Dunham on Sunday to discuss his visit, time with the coaching staff, impressions of the program, takeaways from the team scrimmage and more.
On his experience around the coaching staff:
"My impressions of the coaching staff was that they’re honest, good coaches that care about their players," Dunham told Inside ND Sports. "Overall, each coach brought something unique to the table but they all shared a common dedication to the team’s success and the development of their players. Being around them was not only educational but also enjoyable."
On what he saw during the scrimmage:
"I learned that Notre Dame football is high-speed and intense," Dunham said, "I mean, the guys were out there playing like a game. I really enjoyed that out of the program. Yeah ... what stuck out to me was the vyper end, I felt like that was a good concept."
On how ND's coaches concluded his visit:
"The message the coaching staff gave to me was that, 'At Notre Dame, you’ll have a chance of winning a National Championship and earning a world-class degree. Notre Dame also has the most NFL draftees,'" Dunham said. "And so for me, it just felt like Notre Dame seems like a win-win-win situation. There isn’t anything this school doesn’t have to offer."
Dunham said his relationship with Notre Dame is in a great place, along with schools like Duke and North Carolina, entering the summer.
Link to full story:
InsideNDSports - 2026 DE target Rodney Dunham loves all aspects of first Notre Dame visit
2026 Rivals250 DE Rodney Durham details how his first visit to Notre Dame football went.
notredame.rivals.com
Last edited:
