The Tennessee Vols are very much in the mix for an elite 5-star edge rusher
The Tennessee Vols are one of five programs that are still in the mix for 2026 five-star edge rusher Rodney Dunham. Dunham told On3 on Sunday that Duke, Notre Dame, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina are his final five schools. Dunham, 6-foot-4/227 lbs from Charlotte, NC, is rated by On3 as the No. 3 edge […]
The Tennessee Vols are one of five programs that are still in the mix for 2026 five-star edge rusher Rodney Dunham.
Dunham told On3 on Sunday that Duke, Notre Dame, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina are his final five schools.
Dunham, 6-foot-4/227 lbs from Charlotte, NC, is rated by On3 as the No. 3 edge rusher in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina. He's also rated as the No. 7 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.
"I have always liked Tennessee for a while," said Dunham to 247Sports of his interest in the Volunteers. "It's a great school. Coach (Josh) Heupel is a really good coach and a good person. I love the atmosphere on game day."
Dunham will take official visits to each of his five finalists this spring/summer.
Tennessee is currently scheduled to receive Dunham's final official visit (June 20). That doesn't necessarily make the Vols the favorite to win this recruiting battle, but getting the final official visit is typically viewed as a big advantage for a program.
The Volunteers have done extremely well when it comes to recruiting the Charlotte area in recent years. Edge rusher James Pearce is a Charlotte native who signed with Tennessee and then thrived in Knoxville for three seasons. The Vols also signed five-star offensive lineman David Sanders Jr out of Charlotte during the 2025 recruiting cycle. Sanders is expected to start for Tennessee as a true freshman this fall.
South Carolina, which has distance working in its favor (Columbia is just 90 minutes south of Charlotte), is probably the Volunteers' biggest competition in this recruiting battle.
Dunham's official visits will almost certainly be the determining factor in his upcoming decision.
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