Myers Park’s Rodney Dunham, a top 15 national recruit, explains why he chose Notre Dame
Myers Park High School’s Rodney Dunham, a five-star football recruit, is heading to Notre Dame.
Dunham, a 6-foot-4, 227-pound junior, committed to the Fighting Irish during a ceremony at his school Thursday.
He picked the Irish over Duke, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
“The whole thing has been surreal,” Dunham said. “It’s God’s glory that I am even in the position to visit all of these schools and meet all of these people. But it’s important that I don’t get too high or too low. I feel like on the field, I am kind of a big deal, but I can’t let it get to me or affect me off the field and the way I carry myself.”
Dunham’s signing ceremony was streamed nationally, and he approached the event with the same low-key, matter-of-fact approach that his teammates and classmates have come to know.
“He’s really a mellow fellow,” said his father, Rodney Dunham Sr. “If you met him on the street you wouldn’t know he’s highly recruited or any of that. He’s just a humble kid.”
Dunham has quickly risen through the recruiting rankings, after a big sophomore season two years ago. Heading into his senior season this fall, Dunham is ranked as the nation’s No. 2 edge rusher and No. 14 player overall in the 2026 class by 247 Sports.
As a sophomore, Dunham totaled 55 tackles, seven sacks, 20 QB pressures and 16 tackles for a loss. He saw a lot of double-teams as a junior, and teams consistently schemed to run plays away from him. He still finished with 39 tackles, five sacks and 16 QB hits.
Dunham is also a top 300 baseball recruit in his class, possess a 90-plus mph fastball and is an outfielder for the Mustangs.
As a football player, he attracted 31 scholarship offers including from programs that have won 17 of the previous 19 national championships.
“Outside of being a good football player, he’s a good person,” Myers Park coach Chris James said. “That’s how he is. He’s goofy, smiling, funny and fun to be around. This hasn’t gone to his head at all. Not even close. He will come in tomorrow and be the same goofy Rodney.
“Everyone else will look at him a little differently after today but it won’t affect him at all. To be honest to you, I will look at him differently. He’s grown and matured and become a household name across the country. This is what makes all of the grinding and extra stuff we do worth it and I’m very proud of him.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 4:09 PM.
