Rushing the passer is always a priority for every football team. That's a fact that isn't lost on South Carolina fans, of course. Now, the Gamecocks are trying to land one of the best high school edge rushers in the country.
Rodney Dunham, a 6-foot-4, 227-pound edge rusher from Charlotte, North Carolina, has reportedly cut his list of potential schools to five. According to Hunter Sheldon of On3 Sports, Dunham is still considering South Carolina, Georgia, Duke, Tennessee, and Notre Dame.
According to On3, Dunham is a 5-star prospect. That site ranks him the No. 19 overall player in the nation and the No. 3 edge rusher in the class of 2026. Meanwhile, the 247Sports composite rankings have him listed as a 4-star talent who is the No. 33 overall player and No. 4 edge rusher in his class. Either way, he is one of the top defensive players in the high school ranks.
🚨NEWS🚨 5-star EDGE Rodney Dunham is down to Duke, Georgia, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Tennessee, per @Hayesfawcett3‼️
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) March 9, 2025
Dunham is the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2026 On300⭐️
Read: https://t.co/pnLwI75Oro pic.twitter.com/tgyYNyq2Z7
247Sports shows that Dunham was on the South Carolina campus last fall for an unofficial visit. He has also made three visits to Tennessee thus far in his recruitment.
Last season, Dunham racked up 39 tackles, with ten going for a loss and five being sacks. As a sophomore, he amassed 55 tackles (15 for loss) and seven sacks.
Of course, in 2024, the Gamecocks featured a pair of dominant pass rushers. Kyle Kennard led the team with 11.5 sacks, helping him earn All-American honors as well as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award. However, he is out of eligibility, leaving a notable hole in the USC roster.
Fortunately, the program does return star sophomore, Dylan Stewart. Last season, he came up with 6.5 sacks and 23 tackles as a true freshman, and he has the look of the next great South Carolina pass rusher.
Stewart will have two years of college football left to play before he is eligible for the NFL Draft. Thus, his time in Columbia could overlap with Dunham's should Dunham decide to become a Gamecock.
Currently, the South Carolina 2026 recruiting class has five players verbally committed. Ranked 23rd nationally by 247Sports, that class features another edge rusher, 3-star Alabama product Keenan Britt. Now, Gamecock fans are hoping that their program can add one of the best high school edges in the country to the mix.