Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 MARCH 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY KYLE KELLY C harlotte (N.C.) Myers Park coach Chris James knew the Notre Dame football pro- gram appealed to prized five- star edge Rodney Dunham Jr. That became evident during the Fighting Irish's success in the 2024-25 College Football Play- off. It led to Dunham's eventual verbal commitment on April 10, 2025. That did not appear to be the case beforehand. Though Dun- ham expressed immediate in- terest in the Irish after receiving an offer in March of his sopho- more year, he made six other visits at five programs before returning to South Bend last spring. There was a little over 12 months between Dunham's first Notre Dame visit and his second. But as James discovered, Dunham took notice of the success of Marcus Freeman's program. He applied it to his recruitment. "It's just natural for a competitor when you watch what Notre Dame did this year," James told Blue & Gold Il- lustrated. "I am on a group chat with Rodney, and we were watching the na- tional championship game individu- ally at other places. In the group chat, someone asked, 'Who do you guys have winning?' Both of the kids (the other being even- tual Duke signee Brody Keefe) jokingly said, 'Whoever wins, that's where I am committing.'" Dunham was not completely kidding. On Jan. 9, after the Irish beat Penn State in the Orange Bowl to advance to the national championship, he re- vealed his interest. "They've always been top on my list," he told Rivals' Steve Wiltfong. "But now this might bump them up to the top spot. I need to start visiting them more in the near future." Dunham stayed true to his word. He included the Irish in his top five schools on March 9 and returned to campus 12 days later. "Just him being on campus and be- ing around the guys [was important]," James said. "I think after the second time it was, 'This is the right fit for me and my time in college.' His family felt the same thing." ✦ Notre Dame's 2024 Season Played Big Role In Rodney Dunham's Commitment Dunham, the No. 3 edge and No. 8 overall player in America per Rivals, went a little more than a year without visiting Notre Dame but still ended up pick- ing the Irish in part due to their run to the 2024 national title game. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY RODNEY DUNHAM DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-4 · 230 MYERS PARK H.S. CHARLOTTE, N.C. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪✪✪ 17 4 2 ✪✪✪✪✪ 8 3 1 ✪✪✪✪✪ 9 2 2 ✪✪✪✪ 31 7 3 STATISTICS • Notched 54 tackles (23 solo), and a team-high 14 stops for loss, 8 sacks and 39 QB hurries, as well as one forced fumble while helping the Mustangs reach the third round of the North Carolina Class 8A playoffs as a senior in 2025. • Recorded 39 stops (25 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 16 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 blocked punt as a junior in 2024. NOTABLE • Invited to the Navy All-American Bowl. • Tabbed as a Charlotte Observer All-Observer first-team pick in 2025 and was a second-team selection in 2024. • Named to the HighSchoolOT 704 All-Region Football Team in 2024. • Was selected to the Southern Mecklenburg 4A All-Conference Team in 2023 and 2024. • Was also a decorated baseball player, earning Rawlings Underclassmen Atlantic All-Region Pre- season second-team accolades as a sophomore. Perfect Game considered him a top-300 prospect as a right-handed pitcher. • His brother Emiere Scaife played quarterback and tight end at Georgia State and Winston-Salem State. RECRUITMENT • Committed to the Fighting Irish on April 10, 2025. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Irish over Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. • Recruited by former Irish defensive line coach Al Washington. • Visited Notre Dame five times, including his official visit on June 20, 2025. 2026 PROJECTION • Dunham could join the defensive ends rotation as the season progresses and make a meaningful impact when on the field. THEY SAID IT Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "He has a lot of encouraging tools. With Dunham, you're evaluating his physical skill set and athleticism. He has a really good first step and can bend. He's not a totally dominant player on Friday nights, but edge is a traits position, and he has a lot of physical attributes you look for. "He gets in the backfield a lot, and once he im- proves his finishing ability, he can tap into more of his potential. Dunham is young for the class and is scratching the surface of what he can be. He has played better and better as he returned from injury last year and showed encouraging improvement." Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "Dunham is disruptive, quick as a cat, aggressive and always very active. He shows amaz- ing 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."