Tennessee Vols miss on elite 2026 5-star recruiting target
The Tennessee Vols missed out on an elite 2026 five-star recruit this week. On Thursday, 2026 five-star edge rusher Rodney Dunham announced his commitment to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Dunham, 6-foot-4/227 lbs from Charlotte, NC (Myers Park), is rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 edge rusher in the nation and the No. 2 […]
The Tennessee Vols missed out on an elite 2026 five-star recruit this week.
On Thursday, 2026 five-star edge rusher Rodney Dunham announced his commitment to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Dunham, 6-foot-4/227 lbs from Charlotte, NC (Myers Park), is rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 edge rusher in the nation and the No. 2 player in the state of North Carolina. He's also rated as the No. 14 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.
Tennessee was among Dunham's finalists, along with Duke, Georgia, and South Carolina (and, obviously, Notre Dame).
"I feel like Notre Dame is the best school for me for football and life after football, and even if I don't pursue football long-term, it's an amazing opportunity to receive an education and make connections," said Dunham to 247Sports of his decision to commit to the Fighting Irish. "There are great people at Notre Dame."
Tennessee will likely continue to recruit Dunham, especially considering the Vols' success in the Charlotte area in recent years, but it'll be extremely tough to flip the elite edge rusher from Notre Dame.
The Vols currently have eight players committed to their 2026 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 15 in the nation.
