Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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32 MAY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park class of 2026 edge Rodney Dunham made big news April 10, announcing his commit- ment to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in his high school's gymnasium. "I'd always go on a visit and compare each school to Notre Dame and say it doesn't give everything Notre Dame has," Dunham told On3's Steve Wiltfong about his decision. "There is only one place like Notre Dame, and it's Notre Dame. I grew up and realized the cold doesn't matter. "I have to play in the cold someday. Then I picked the school for me." Dunham visited Notre Dame last spring, shortly after receiving his scholarship offer from the Irish on Pot of Gold Day. Though he didn't return to South Bend until 11 months later, he did not need long for Notre Dame to recapture its early momentum. He was in town March 21 for a trip that went incredibly well and directly led to his commitment. The 6-4, 225-pounder picked the Fighting Irish over finalists Duke, Geor- gia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Al- abama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon were also on his long scholarship sheet. Notre Dame's coaching staff was key in the Fighting Irish landing Dunham, who is the nation's No. 3 edge and No. 7 overall player per On3. Head coach Marcus Freeman, defensive line coach Al Washington and defensive line ana- lyst Nick Sebastian all played important roles in getting Dunham on their com- mit list. "He seems to be just a genuine per- son," Dunham's father, Rodney Sr., told Blue & Gold Illustrated's Kyle Kelly about Freeman. "He's very genuine. He speaks what he believes, and that's very important. Head coaches like to have like-minded assistants. "Al's a very genuine, down-to-earth guy. He seems to be a good family man. The thing that stood out most is that he's a teacher. He's extremely detailed. We sat in on one of the meetings. I've been in some other team room meet- ings, and Coach Washington is ex- tremely detailed. Down to every twitch, every move. "That's really good. A great guy who's genuine and open." Dunham joins Garner (N.C.) South's Ebenezer Ewetade, who committed to the Irish April 5 and is the No. 6 edge and No. 36 overall player in America per On3, on Notre Dame's defensive line commitment list. During his junior campaign in 2024, Dunham posted 39 total stops, 10 tack- les for loss, 5 sacks, 16 quarterback hurries, 1 forced fumble and 1 fum- ble recovery. He had a strong season in 2023 too, recording 54 stops with 16 for loss, 6 sacks, 20 quarterback hurries, 3 interceptions, 3 passes defended and a blocked field goal. Dunham, who is already commit- ted to playing in the 2026 Navy All- American Bowl, was The Charlotte Observer's 2024 Preseason Foot- ball Defensive Player of the Year in Mecklenburg County. He was named to the 2024 and 2023 South- ern Mecklenburg 4A All-Confer- ence Team. He was also a member of HighSchoolOT's All-Region team for 2024. His first scholarship offer came from East Carolina in April 2023. He was in Durham, N.C., to see the Fighting Irish beat Duke back that fall, and Notre Dame's Pot of Gold Day scholarship offer last March was his fifth. Dunham is also an outstanding base- ball player and has been clocked throw- ing in the 90-miles-per-hour range as a right-handed pitcher. The following is from HighSchoolOT on Dunham's sophomore baseball season: "Dunham pitched in seven games with Myers Park's varsity baseball team, finishing with a 3-0 win-loss record and a 1.75 ERA. He had 10 strikeouts, 10 walks, and gave up six hits. Myers Park finished with a 20-6 overall record after losing to Charlotte Catholic in the second round of the North Carolina 4A West playoffs." His older brother, Emiere Scaife, played tight end and quarterback at Georgia State. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE RODNEY DUNHAM Dunham, the nation's No. 3 edge and No. 7 overall player per On3, committed to the Fighting Irish over fellow finalists Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Duke. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 Five-Star Edge Picks Notre Dame Over A Trio Of SEC Schools FILM ANALYSIS "Rodney Dunham is disruptive, quick as a cat, aggressive and always very active. He shows amazing quickness, speed to the ball, leverage, body control and balance. Dunham has to be double-teamed at all times and shows very good length and growth potential. He's very tough and is a physical ballplayer with a relentless drive." — Prep Football Report analyst Tom Lemming "There is only one place like Notre Dame, and it's Notre Dame. I grew up and realized the cold doesn't matter. I have to play in the cold someday. Then I picked the school for me." DUNHAM