Notre Dame has been recruiting defense as well as any program in the country since Marcus Freeman arrived. The Irish staff is looking to land another big time class in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Here are my rankings for the Notre Dame defensive class, followed by prospect bios and the upside rankings at the bottom. As new players are added to the class they will be added to this ranking.
2026 COMMITS – DEFENSE
1. DE Rodney Dunham – 6-4, 225
2. DE Ebenezer Ewetade – 6-4, 225
3. CB Ayden Pouncey – 6-3, 175
4. LB Thomas Davis Jr. – 6-2, 210
5. CB Chaston Smith – 6-2, 175
COMMIT BIOS
1. RODNEY DUNHAM, DEFENSIVE END
Hometown/High School: Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park
Height/Weight: 6-4, 225
IB Grade: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0 (Top 35 caliber prospect)
Dunham is already one of the nation’s top prospects, but what should excite Fighting Irish fans is that he’s just scratching the surface of his full potential. Dunham has a unique blend of size, explosiveness, athleticism and instincts, which means he checks all the boxes that Notre Dame covets from its top prospects. At 6-4 and 225 pounds with impressive athletic skills, Dunham projects as an impact edge player for the Irish. With his frame he should be able to add plenty of weight and strength, and as he does his game will become even more dominant. Notre Dame wants/need a strong, stout, all-around end that can dominate the run and rush the passer, and Dunham has all the tools to get to that point during his college career. On top of the physical tools, Dunham shows an impressive football IQ for the position.
2. EBENEZER EWETADE, DEFENSIVE END
Hometown/High School: Garner, N.C./South Garner
Height/Weight: 6-4, 225
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0 (Top 35 caliber prospect)
Notre Dame got on Ewetade early and it paid off in a big way, as the Irish were able to beat some powers from the South to land this talented edge player. Ewetade is a long and athletic edge player, which was a priority for Notre Dame in this class. His pass rushing prowess comes from his combination of length, athleticism and top-level pass rushing ability. That makes him a great fit for Notre Dame’s Vyper position. He’s a pure edge player that can handle both phases of the game (run/pass) at a high level. Right now Ewetade is still on the thin side, but he has a quality frame that should allow him to fill out quite nicely. He’s a rangy athlete and is surprisingly effective against the run, but it’s his elite pass rushing potential that boosts his ranking. Despite being relatively raw, Ewetade was highly productive and shows an impact all-around game.
3. AYDEN POUNCEY, CORNERBACK
Hometown/High School: Winter Park, Fla./High School
Height/Weight: 6-3, 175
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)
Pouncey is listed by the national services as a safety, but he dominates as a cornerback in high school and that’s the position the Irish staff is recruiting him to play. At 6-3 he’s not your typical cornerback, but Notre Dame has proven it can thrive with long, tall cornerbacks. The key for Pouncey is that he has the cornerback traits that Mike Mickens wants at the position. On top of his length, Pouncey is an outstanding all-around athlete. He shows impressive downhill speed, easy change of direction skills and his long speed stands out as well. Pouncey is a smooth athlete with the feel for coverage you want in a cornerback. He’s on the thin side, but Pouncey is a willing tackler that packs a punch when he arrives at ball carriers. His frame is top notch and should allow him to fill out to around 200 pounds by the time his career is over. Pouncey is a versatile athlete that can thrive at safety if he doesn’t fit at cornerback, but Notre Dame really likes him as a cover corner.
4. THOMAS DAVIS JR., LINEBACKER
Hometown/High School: Matthews (N.C.) Weddington
Height/Weight: 6-2, 210
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Davis is an outstanding all-around linebacker that very much fits the modern game. The first thing that stood out to me on film is how effective he is in coverage. Davis is a smart football player that makes very strong reads and he can bait quarterbacks into throwing the ball. His anticipation in coverage is outstanding and he gets his hands on a lot of footballs in coverage, and that part of his game projects to both Will and Rover in the Notre Dame defense. Davis is a smooth athlete that changes direction with ease and he can close downhill. Davis isn’t just a coverage linebacker, and he shows the projection to be an impact run defender as well. He shows good block destruction at the point of attack, he makes strong reads and he arrives at the football with good force. His closing speed is impressive and he’s a strong tackler in space. Davis doesn’t blitz a ton at the high school level but he has tools to be effective there.
5. CHASTON SMITH, CORNERBACK
Hometown/High School: Chattanooga (Tenn.) McEachern
Height/Weight: 6-2, 175
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)
Notre Dame has shown an affinity for very tall, long cornerbacks in recent seasons and Smith certainly fits that mold. He’s a smooth and rangy field cornerback that can cover a lot of space. Notre Dame also likes high football IQ corners and Smith fits that as well. Smith shows the ability to play off man and he also is allowed to come up and press quite a bit. His route recognition is strong and he takes very good angles to the football when it’s in the air. He’s a smooth athlete that can flip his hips effectively and his plant-and-drive stands out as well. He’s not as fast as guys like Leonard Moore, Christian Gray and Cam Hart but he is plenty fast enough to be a strong man defender at the next level.
UPSIDE RANKING
1. DE Ebenezer Ewetade – 5.0
2. DE Rodney Dunham – 5.0
3. CB Ayden Pouncey – 4.5
4. CB Chaston Smith – 4.5
5. LB Thomas Davis Jr. – 4.5
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
2025 Scholarship Chart
2025 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers
2025 Commit Rankings – Offense
2025 Commit Rankings – Defense
2024 Recruiting Class
2023 Recruiting Class
2022 Recruiting Class
———————
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Notre Dame has been recruiting defense as well as any program in the country since Marcus Freeman arrived. The Irish staff is looking to land another big time class in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Here are my rankings for the Notre Dame defensive class, followed by prospect bios and the upside rankings at the bottom. As new players are added to the class they will be added to this ranking.
2026 COMMITS – DEFENSE
1. DE Rodney Dunham – 6-4, 225
2. DE Ebenezer Ewetade – 6-4, 225
3. CB Ayden Pouncey – 6-3, 175
4. LB Thomas Davis Jr. – 6-2, 210
5. CB Chaston Smith – 6-2, 175
COMMIT BIOS
1. RODNEY DUNHAM, DEFENSIVE END
Hometown/High School: Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park
Height/Weight: 6-4, 225
IB Grade: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0 (Top 35 caliber prospect)
Dunham is already one of the nation’s top prospects, but what should excite Fighting Irish fans is that he’s just scratching the surface of his full potential. Dunham has a unique blend of size, explosiveness, athleticism and instincts, which means he checks all the boxes that Notre Dame covets from its top prospects. At 6-4 and 225 pounds with impressive athletic skills, Dunham projects as an impact edge player for the Irish. With his frame he should be able to add plenty of weight and strength, and as he does his game will become even more dominant. Notre Dame wants/need a strong, stout, all-around end that can dominate the run and rush the passer, and Dunham has all the tools to get to that point during his college career. On top of the physical tools, Dunham shows an impressive football IQ for the position.
2. EBENEZER EWETADE, DEFENSIVE END
Hometown/High School: Garner, N.C./South Garner
Height/Weight: 6-4, 225
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0 (Top 35 caliber prospect)
Notre Dame got on Ewetade early and it paid off in a big way, as the Irish were able to beat some powers from the South to land this talented edge player. Ewetade is a long and athletic edge player, which was a priority for Notre Dame in this class. His pass rushing prowess comes from his combination of length, athleticism and top-level pass rushing ability. That makes him a great fit for Notre Dame’s Vyper position. He’s a pure edge player that can handle both phases of the game (run/pass) at a high level. Right now Ewetade is still on the thin side, but he has a quality frame that should allow him to fill out quite nicely. He’s a rangy athlete and is surprisingly effective against the run, but it’s his elite pass rushing potential that boosts his ranking. Despite being relatively raw, Ewetade was highly productive and shows an impact all-around game.
3. AYDEN POUNCEY, CORNERBACK
Hometown/High School: Winter Park, Fla./High School
Height/Weight: 6-3, 175
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)
Pouncey is listed by the national services as a safety, but he dominates as a cornerback in high school and that’s the position the Irish staff is recruiting him to play. At 6-3 he’s not your typical cornerback, but Notre Dame has proven it can thrive with long, tall cornerbacks. The key for Pouncey is that he has the cornerback traits that Mike Mickens wants at the position. On top of his length, Pouncey is an outstanding all-around athlete. He shows impressive downhill speed, easy change of direction skills and his long speed stands out as well. Pouncey is a smooth athlete with the feel for coverage you want in a cornerback. He’s on the thin side, but Pouncey is a willing tackler that packs a punch when he arrives at ball carriers. His frame is top notch and should allow him to fill out to around 200 pounds by the time his career is over. Pouncey is a versatile athlete that can thrive at safety if he doesn’t fit at cornerback, but Notre Dame really likes him as a cover corner.
4. THOMAS DAVIS JR., LINEBACKER
Hometown/High School: Matthews (N.C.) Weddington
Height/Weight: 6-2, 210
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Davis is an outstanding all-around linebacker that very much fits the modern game. The first thing that stood out to me on film is how effective he is in coverage. Davis is a smart football player that makes very strong reads and he can bait quarterbacks into throwing the ball. His anticipation in coverage is outstanding and he gets his hands on a lot of footballs in coverage, and that part of his game projects to both Will and Rover in the Notre Dame defense. Davis is a smooth athlete that changes direction with ease and he can close downhill. Davis isn’t just a coverage linebacker, and he shows the projection to be an impact run defender as well. He shows good block destruction at the point of attack, he makes strong reads and he arrives at the football with good force. His closing speed is impressive and he’s a strong tackler in space. Davis doesn’t blitz a ton at the high school level but he has tools to be effective there.
5. CHASTON SMITH, CORNERBACK
Hometown/High School: Chattanooga (Tenn.) McEachern
Height/Weight: 6-2, 175
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)
Notre Dame has shown an affinity for very tall, long cornerbacks in recent seasons and Smith certainly fits that mold. He’s a smooth and rangy field cornerback that can cover a lot of space. Notre Dame also likes high football IQ corners and Smith fits that as well. Smith shows the ability to play off man and he also is allowed to come up and press quite a bit. His route recognition is strong and he takes very good angles to the football when it’s in the air. He’s a smooth athlete that can flip his hips effectively and his plant-and-drive stands out as well. He’s not as fast as guys like Leonard Moore, Christian Gray and Cam Hart but he is plenty fast enough to be a strong man defender at the next level.
UPSIDE RANKING
1. DE Ebenezer Ewetade – 5.0
2. DE Rodney Dunham – 5.0
3. CB Ayden Pouncey – 4.5
4. CB Chaston Smith – 4.5
5. LB Thomas Davis Jr. – 4.5
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
2025 Scholarship Chart
2025 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers
2025 Commit Rankings – Offense
2025 Commit Rankings – Defense
2024 Recruiting Class
2023 Recruiting Class
2022 Recruiting Class
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook
Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter
