Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 JUNE/JULY 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PREP PROFILES Notre Dame has a blueprint for re- cruiting underclassmen. The Irish staff offers several dozen high school sopho- more prospects on Pot of Gold Day in March and then works to get those pros- pects on campus in the spring, followed by hopeful trips at the end of July for their cookout event and then again dur- ing the season for a home game. Take Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park's Rodney Dunham, for example. The class of 2026 four-star edge earned his offer from Notre Dame in March and set up a visit to South Bend. He was on campus April 13 to get his first look at the uni- versity, and the expectation is that he'll get back in the near future. The first order of business during Dunham's April visit was sitting in on a team meeting, then an Al Washing- ton-led position meeting, followed by watching the team scrimmage inside Notre Dame Stadium. "It was a fun, high-energy scrim- mage," Dunham said Following practice, Dunham had one- on-one meetings with Washington, head coach Marcus Freeman, and de- fensive coordinator Al Golden. And the last part of Dunham's visit was a tour of Notre Dame's campus. All in all, it was a successful trip for Dunham. "I thought of them pretty highly be- fore, and now I got to see it in action — see the campus and the team," added Dunham. "And I think of them even higher now." A highlight for the 6-foot-4, 215- pounder was finally putting a face to a name when it came to the Notre Dame coaching staff. "It was my first time meeting all of them in person," Dunham said. "They were pitching Notre Dame of course, but it wasn't only that. They were hon- est with how they go about things. "Coach Freeman is a great guy. I can tell he's a really good coach, and I respect him. Coach Washington is also a great guy and coach. He was telling me about what Notre Dame has — academically and in football. He's honest and down to earth." Dunham is considering more spring visits, but it can be tricky with his base- ball schedule. He's a pitcher and out- fielder for his high school squad. On3's rankings have Dunham as the No. 6 edge and No. 53 overall recruit in the land. Florida State, South Carolina, Duke, North Carolina and Virginia Tech are also among his early scholarship offers. — Mike Singer Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School safety Simeon Caldwell was one of sev- eral dozen prospects in the 2026 class to add an offer from Notre Dame on St. Patrick's Day a month ago, and the in- terest from the Fighting Irish intrigued Caldwell right away. He set up a visit to get to South Bend — a trip that took place in mid-April. And the four-star, highly coveted re- cruit seemed to love his trip. "It was amazing," he said. "Everyone was very welcoming and excited to have me there. The really big thing that stood out was the relationship the coaches have with the players. "The players are able to talk to the coaches like a lifelong friend, but they still have the respect that you would give a coach." Caldwell continued to rave about the Irish coaching staff, as he spent time with defensive backs coach Mike Mick- ens and others. "The coaching staff was definitely one of my favorites — if not the favorite coaching staff — I've had the chance to interact with," Caldwell noted. "They made it clear that I was one of their top priorities in the class of 2026, and they mentioned to me that they can see me playing both linebacker or safety there. It just depends on how my body devel- ops these next two years." Caldwell's Notre Dame visit took place April 13, and he got to see the team scrimmage inside the stadium. The defense dominated the outing, and Caldwell loved every second of it. "What stood out about the scrim- mage was the coaches' confidence in the players, and the players' confidence in themselves," Caldwell said. "You can tell they were playing loose and fast and most importantly having fun. And when you do those things, good plays happen. And the defense had two pick sixes and one other interception because of it." It's early in Caldwell's recruitment as he's yet to finish his sophomore year of high school, but the Fighting Irish seem to have cemented themselves as a con- tender for the long haul. "My thoughts on Notre Dame right now are that it's the best of both worlds — great football but also just as im- portant they have great academics," Caldwell said. "Both my sisters went to Ivy League schools, so I know the importance of education and how the game won't last forever, so getting a top-tier education is crucial. "Nothing is set in my recruitment since I still have a lot of time left and things are always changing." Caldwell is ranked as the No. 7 safety and No. 74 overall prospect in the nation by On3. — Mike Singer Four-Star Pass Rusher Gets First Look At Notre Dame Top-100 Recruit On First Irish Visit: 'It Was Amazing' RODNEY DUNHAM ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Myers Park H.S. Charlotte, N.C. Status: Offered Class: 2026 Position: Edge Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 215 On3 Rankings: No. 6 pros- pect in North Carolina, and No. 6 edge and No. 53 overall player nationally SIMEON CALDWELL ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ The Bolles School Jacksonville, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2026 Position: Safety Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 185 On3 Rankings: No. 12 player in Florida, and No. 7 safety and No. 74 overall player nationally