Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2024 33 BY MIKE SINGER Notre Dame pulled off a major re- cruiting victory, landing a commitment from Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep class of 2025 four-star defensive back prospect Dallas Golden. On April 28, Golden announced his pledge to the Fighting Irish over Ala- bama, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State and USC. He held more than 30 scholarship offers. "I had that gut feeling," Golden told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I prayed and talked to my family about it. It feels like the right decision. "They give me a family feel; it is so or- ganic when talking to the coaches. I've been building strong relationships with Coach [Mike] Mickens, Coach [Marcus] Freeman, Coach [Al] Golden and Coach Chad [Bowden]. That was important throughout my process." Notre Dame offered Golden back in August 2022, making their pursuit of him span nearly two years. He visited campus three times, checking out the Blue-Gold Game in 2023, returning to campus to see the Irish blow out rival USC last October and again in January 2024 for the staff's junior day recruiting event. He could've taken more time with his recruiting process. Official visit season is around the corner, and he was going to take an early June trip out to Clem- son, a school that he was very interested in throughout his recruitment. Golden took spring visits to Georgia, Florida State, Miami, Texas A&M and UCF and hadn't been to South Bend since January. He had the "gut feeling" to pick Notre Dame without making a campus visit for a few months. However, his most recent trip to ND left a lasting impression. "That visit in January — it was differ- ent," Golden said. He informed the Irish staff of his deci- sion four days prior to his commitment date. He spoke with Freeman, Mickens and Bowden about it, and the staff was pleasantly surprised about the big news. "They're really excited," Golden said. "They're ready to get to work with me." Regardless of position, Golden has been a top target for the Irish staff in the 2025 cycle for a long time, and the rising senior recruit felt that he was a major priority. That was important to him, as well as another 2025 prospect who he connected with. "No doubt — that definitely played a huge impact," Golden noted. "And also — [Irish quarterback commit] Deuce Knight was recruiting me a lot and helped me with the process. We talked and built a relationship over time. He's fired up about me committing." Golden is currently listed by On3 as a safety, and he can play that position, be used as an offensive skill weapon or handle cornerback at the next level. Notre Dame is taking him as a corner- back, and Golden has a strong connec- tion with his future position coach. "He's a really great person," Golden said of Mickens. "I have family friends at Notre Dame right now — Troy and Tre Reader — and they tell me great things about Coach Mickens. Being around him is a great vibe." When asked about what his recruiting process will look like moving forward with regard to other schools potentially continuing their pursuit of him, Golden responded very quickly. "I'm 100 percent with Notre Dame," he said. "My family and I aren't inter- ested in the decommitting thing." Golden plans to sign with Notre Dame in December and enroll at the university next summer. He is Notre Dame's fourth defensive back commit and 20th overall pledge of the 2025 cycle. Golden's junior season was sensational in all facets of the game. As an offensive weapon, he ran 205 times for 1,467 yards with 19 touchdowns and added 32 recep- tions for 394 yards and 5 scores. He even threw a touchdown pass in 2023. Defensively, Golden posted 9 tack- les, 5 interceptions, 4 passes broken up and 1 blocked field goal. He also handled return duties, averaging 25.1 yards per kick return and 3.7 yards per punt run- back. He had a kickoff return long of 64 yards and a punt return best of 33. Golden helped lead Berkeley Prep to the Florida 2M state championship game with a 28-20 win over Miami Norland. He posted 183 rushing yards and 1 touch- down on 23 carries, plus 2 receptions for 38 yards and a score in that contest. SB Live named him its 2023 Florida Class 2M Player of the year. Golden was listed as Big County Prep's Player of the Year in the Tampa area. MaxPreps listed Golden on its 2023 MaxPreps High School Football Junior All-America first-team as an all-purpose defensive player. ✦ Four-Star Defensive Back Follows His Gut And Picks Notre Dame COMMITMENT PROFILE DALLAS GOLDEN Golden, the nation's No. 12 safety and No. 104 overall player according to the On3 Industry Ranking, also held offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Florida State. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY FILM ANALYSIS "Dallas Golden is no doubt one of the premier athletes in the state of Florida and he can play, running back, wide receiver or cornerback. He shows great range, loose hips and is quick in transition with exceptional burst and timing. "He also looked pretty good at quarterback but corner will be his future. Dallas is a fearless athlete who does whatever it takes to win." — Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming