Miami Hurricanes 2026 Recruiting Notebook: S J.J. Dunnigan

In this installment of The Recruiting Notebook, we meet a talented Safety who brings All-American talent to the Miami secondary: Manhattan (KS) 4-star S J.J. Dunnigan.

Miami’s defense has been one of the stories of the 2025 CFB season. To keep that going into the future, the Canes turned their attention into recruiting Manhattan (KS) S James “J.J.” Dunnigan.

A dynamic 6’2” 190lb Safety, Dunnigan is a great athlete and one of the best players in the State of Kansas. Son of former Purdue and Kansas State CB James Dunnigan Sr, the younger Dunnigan has been around the game his entire life. Also, this answers the question about who lives in Manhattan, Kansas aka the Little Apple? Former KSU players, that’s who.

Though he had 1 catch for 8 yards as a freshman, Dunnigan first made a splash as a sophomore for Manhattan HS. 29 tackles, 1 TFL, 7 PBUs, and an interception showed that Dunnigan has plenty of talent.

After his sophomore year, the offers started coming in for Dunnigan. The local school/his father’s alma mater Kansas State, Colorado State, Nebraska, and Kansas all offered him scholarships before the start of his junior year. That was a nice start to his collection of offers, but only a start.

As a junior, Dunnigan showed major blue chip talent. 65 tackles, 3 TFLs, 3 interceptions, 6 PBUs, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery for a 13-1 Manhattan team that lost by 3 in the State Championship Game. For his performance, Dunnigan was named an All-American, and participated in the 2025 Under Armour All-American game. Remember, with many (most) seniors skipping All-American games to early enroll, the move is now to highlight top junior talent in these games, and Dunnigan fit that bill perfectly.

Though he received some major P4 offers during his breakout Junior year, Dunnigan crossed family lines and committed to the Kansas Jayhawks. That did not dissuade many top level P4 teams to extend Dunnigan offers in the Spring after the year, and his commitment to Kansas. Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, and Florida joined Miami in offering Dunnigan a scholarship and put his Kansas pledge under serious pressure.

Even with a spate of new offers, Dunnigan only took one summer official visit: to Kansas. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough for the Jayhawks to keep the All-American standout committed. He decommitted from Kansas in October, and quickly lined up other visits. After a trip to Colorado on November 1st, Dunnigan knew what he wanted to do. He committed to Miami on November 9th, and followed that up with an official visit the next weekend to close things out and ensure he made the right choice.

Dunnigan continued to excel as a senior, a key to Miami’s recruiting evaluations in this cycle. He had 57 tackles, 4 TFLs, a sack, 2 PBUs and a forced fumble in 9 games for Manhattan. Most importantly Dunnigan led Manhattan to a State Championship, dominating in all phases of the game as Manhattan beat Olathe Northwest 27-0 to take the title.

On the 247sports composite, Dunnigan is a 4-star prospect, the #14 S nationally, #2 in the State of Kansas, and #149 player overall in this class. 14-2-149

Dunnigan flipped his commitment to Miami from Kansas, and over a list of 21 scholarship offers from around the country.

At 6’2” 195lbs, Dunnigan has the prototypical build for a Safety. We know that Mario Cristobal wants his team to be big at every position, and getting Dunnigan at Safety helps turn that desire into a reality. Sure, he could add a couple pounds and some functional strength, but Dunnigan is basically built like Jakobe Thomas right now. That’ll work!

Dunnigan has very good speed (sub-11 seconds in the 100M dash) and change of direction. He uses them well on offense and in the return game, but they stand out on defense, too. He is able to put his foot in the ground and get downhill with violent intent. He gets where he needs to go, and when he gets there, he’s physical and gets ball carriers on the ground.

There are coverage responsibilities for every secondary player, and Dunnigan handles his well. He can match up against Tight Ends up the seam and over the middle in man coverage, and does well in space coming forward on intermediate throws, and getting back on deep ones. I wouldn’t put him man-to-man against the quickest or fastest players on opposing teams, but otherwise Dunnigan should be fine in coverage. He has good instincts and awareness in zone, a key for every player at Safety.

I already mentioned Jakobe Thomas, and recently Mario Cristobal said Thomas is the hammer Miami needed in the secondary. Dunnigan is a near-perfect replacement as a head busting Safety who can have impact all over the field. I’m already dreaming of Dunnigan and Bryce Fitzgerald teaming together to form a dynamic Safety duo in 2027.

Dunnigan played all over the field in HS. From receiver to corner to safety to kick and punt returner, Dunnigan made plays all over the field in every phase of the game. While he won’t continue that versatility in college, it speaks to his athleticism and playmaking.

For another eval of Dunnigan, here’s one from 247sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins:

-Imposing defensive back with impressive play speed and a projectable frame that fits the mold of a modern boundary safety, but might also be worth a look at cornerback.-Turned heads as a junior during practices for the Under Armour All-America Game as he found success shadowing blue-chip pass catchers in a best-on-best setting.-Quick to read and diagnose as he moves on his toes and bolts forward with conviction. Can get caught over-running lanes, but seeks contact and will play through obstacles to strike ball carriers.-Frequently closes gaps and makes effort-based stops in pursuit as he has the range to get from hash to hash in the snap of a finger.-Not a ton of takeaways on the prep resume, but came down with multiple acrobatic interceptions on the off-season event circuit and has showcased impressive ball skills while doubling as a wide receiver.-Should be viewed as a turbo-charged defensive chess piece that can fit into a variety of different schemes and roles depending on what’s needed and how the body fills out.

Strengths

• Prototype build

• Elite playmaker in all phases

• Speed/Quickness

• Pedigree and Potential

Weaknesses

• Can create more turnovers

• Can be a more consistent/disciplined run defender

To see the kind of player Miami is getting in Dunnigan, check out his highlights below:

View Link

View Link

Note: changed this up from just a freshman-season outlook to a career outlook for each player a few years ago and we’re continuing that style this year as well.

If you couldn’t tell from this Notebook, I’m gonna let you in on a secret: J.J. Dunnigan is one of my favorite players in this Miami Hurricanes recruiting class…maybe THE favorite player. He’s the whole package, and I’m very excited to have him on this team.

Miami hasn’t hesitated to play young players who prove they’re ready for the moment, and I fully expect that to continue with Dunnigan. The floor for him is rotation player, but the ceiling is All-ACC standout and a fast track to the NFL. He’s got that kind of talent, and that kind of potential, and I’m excited to see him in Orange and Green.

That’s it for this installment of The Recruiting Notebook.

Go Canes