Five-star edge rusher Rodney Dunham released his top five including Tennessee football earlier this week. Duke, Georgia, Notre Dame and South Carolina joined the Vols in Dunham’s top group.
Dunham ranks as a five-star recruit and the No. 19 player in the country according to the On3 sports industry ratings. The Charlotte native also ranks as the No. 3 player in the state of North Carolina and the No. 3 edge rusher in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Both 247sports and On3’s own rankings are even higher on Dunham. 247sports ranks him as the No. 14 player int he country while On3 ranks him as the No. 7 player.
Tennessee has recruited the state of North Carolina extremely well under head coach Josh Heupel. The Vols have signed top players from the state like James Pearce Jr, Daevin Hobbs and David Sanders last cycle. In the 2026 recruiting cycle, Tennessee holds a commit from the state’s top player— quarterback Faizon Brandon.
Dunham plays his high school football at Myers Park High School which is the same school that Tennessee basketball player Bishop Boswell attended.
The blue-chip recruit has official visits lined up to all five of his finalists. Dunham is visiting Georgia in April, South Carolina in May and then Duke, Notre Dame and Tennessee in June. His official visit to Tennessee is his last of three official visits.
Tennessee football’s 2026 recruiting class currently contains commitments from eight players including defensive lineman Tyson Bacon and edge rusher CJ Edwards.
The Vols’ eight-commit recruiting class currently ranks No. 6 nationally and No. 2 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
