The Tennessee Volunteers appear to be gaining some momentum on the college football recruiting trail. Tennessee is being labeled as “one of the front-runners” to land a top pass rusher in the 2026 recruiting class.
On3.com’s Steve Wiltfong reported that the Vols used this past weekend to host several top recruiting targets. “Tennessee has On3’s No. 6 ranked recruiting class early in the 2026 cycle and Josh Heupel and his staff were doing what they could to build on it this past weekend,” Wiltfong wrote on Wednesday. “The Vols hosted a few commits and top targets in Knoxville, showing off the College Football Playoff program and why it could be a potential fit for the next wave of prospects.” Tennessee is trending in the right direction for four-star pass rusher Rodney Dunham. The Charlotte, N.C., prospect is the No. 9 ranked overall player and second rated pass rusher in the 2026 recruiting class, per 247Sports.
“It’s obvious Tennessee is one of the front-runners for On3’s No. 3 edge rusher Rodney Dunham,” Wiltfong added.
On3 predicts that Tennessee will land Dunham giving the Vols a 34.9% chance to add the pass rusher. The Duke Blue Devils have the second best odds with a 20.7% chance to sign Dunham.
The star defender has a long list of interested teams including the Florida State Seminoles, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers.
