Irish Breakdown

Is a Much-Needed Recruiting Bump Coming for Notre Dame Football?

Recent visits appear to have things pointing in the right direction for Marcus Freeman and Fighting Irish
Nick Shepkowski|
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman greets his players during a Notre Dame football spring practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in South Bend.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman greets his players during a Notre Dame football spring practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame football has long lived by the recruiting philosophy of essentially getting commitments early in each cycle and holding on to keep as many of those as possible. Sure, that's not entire way but largely shows how Notre Dame has long operated.

This year things are a bit different, with Notre Dame being a bit more selective in who it takes. As a result, the Fighting Irish are a bit down in national recruiting rankings as it ranks outside the top 10 at a time it often ranks towards the top three.

But could that slower start soon be coming to an end? One recruiting analyst sees a possible end in sight for Notre Dame's recruiting lull that hasn't landed a commitment since the end of January.

Bold Prediction for Star Defensive End Rodney Dunham

Notre Dame hosted star defensive end Rodney Dunham over the weekend, one of the top recruits in the 2025 cycle. Dunham is rated incredibly high by 247Sports as he is ranked as the 14th overall player. He also ranks as the No. 2 edge rusher in the class.

Dunham went to social media following his visit to Notre Dame, clearly suggesting he had a good time in South Bend.

Furthermore, On3 recruiting analyst Mike Singer logged a prediction for Dunham to end up at Notre Dame following the visit. Dunham would clearly be a big-time addition for any program to land a commitment from, with Notre Dame being no exception.

In terms of timing when that potential commitment may happen - Dunham has official visits scheduled for Georgia, South Carolina, Duke, Notre Dame, and Tennessee from April through early-Jue.

Notre Dame currently has seven commitments in the 2026 recruiting class and ranks 13th nationally in the 247Sports team rankings.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

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