The 6-foot-4, 227-pound edge rusher is ranked as the No. 14 player nationally and the No. 2 edge rusher in the 247Sports rankings. Dunham visited South Bend over the weekend, marking his first trip to the area since last off-season. Before the visit, sources in South Bend were optimistic about the possibility of taking the lead in his recruitment, believing that the strong mutual interest between the prospect and the program would reignite and grow after his return to campus.
After three days to reflect on the visit, it’s clear that the Irish made significant strides over the weekend.
Soon after the visit on Sunday evening, a source told Irish Illustrated that Notre Dame believed they had taken the lead and were in a strong position to finish out the recruitment.
Less than 24 hours later, Dunham confirmed to Loy that Notre Dame was now his top choice and that he could commit before his previously scheduled official visits.
Now, the potential earlier timeline has become reality, with Dunham setting a commitment date just over two weeks away and no remaining visits scheduled before then.
This is a positive sign for Notre Dame, which is aiming to land its first 247Sports five-star recruit since the 2024 class, another edge rusher from Charlotte, Bryce Young. If Dunham commits and signs with the Fighting Irish, and if his No. 15 national ranking holds, he would be Notre Dame’s highest-ranked recruit according to 247Sports since Kyle Hamilton in the 2019 class, who was also ranked No. 15 overall.
Stay tuned to Irish Illustrated for further updates on this recruitment leading up to April 10.
