Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 13, 2025 43 BY MIKE SINGER Elijah Golden may have been des- tined to continue his collegiate career as a student-athlete at Notre Dame, but there was a winding road for the tal- ented prospect to get there. The class of 2026 defensive lineman from Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney first visited South Bend for a prospect camp before his sophomore year, begin- ning relationships with defensive line coaches Al Washington, Nick Sebas- tian and then-defensive coordinator Al Golden (no relation). Notre Dame offered Golden last March for its Pot of Gold Day, the Irish staff's an- nual St. Patrick's Day-themed recruiting initiative for the rising junior class. He visited twice in the following months, and the Irish quickly became a top contender. He committed to the Fighting Irish Aug. 9, picking head coach Marcus Freeman's program over Alabama, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech. Golden noted Notre Dame had an early lead, although it wasn't a wide margin. "It was both," he said. "Other schools had to catch up, but there were also schools there from Day 1 as well." After a 10-month ga p, G o l d e n re - turned in April for his fourth trip, then came back for his official visit June 20 — his fifth time in South Bend. He also officially visited his other three finalists with the Irish getting his last trip. "It was really during my last visit in June," he said of when he decided on Notre Dame. Golden was originally going to an- nounce his decision between the four schools he officially visited July 26, but he decided to push his commitment back a couple of weeks. He had already given the Notre Dame staff some indication that he would be picking their program, but due to some personal reasons and a late push Okla- homa made, Golden wanted to make sure he was making the right decision. "I needed to take a little bit more time on it," he added. Golden reaffirmed with the Notre Dame staff the week of his decision that he'd be choosing them. " T h e wh o l e coa c h i n g s ta f f wa s pumped up," Golden said. "I really like the coaching staff and the people a ro u n d t h e p ro - gram. I feel that it's the best fit for me." T h e a c a d e m i c component, high level of football, connection with the other 2026 com- mits and the vibe in the locker room were parts of why Notre Dame is the best "fit" for him. "It's all of those things. Notre Dame reminds me of the school I'm at right now," he said. "The football is great. The academics are a little on the harder side." By all accounts, Golden will be solid with his Irish pledge, sign with Notre Dame in December and enroll in Janu- ary. He hasn't gotten any indication from other programs that they'll con- tinue to recruit him throughout the fall, but he's not concerned with that. "I'll handle that all fine," he said. "I'll be focused on the season." The 6-3½, 278-pounder projects as a combo defensive lineman who could play all over the Irish defensive line. "I could do some three-tech as a pass rusher on third down," he said. Golden's high school head coach is Jared Clark, a former Notre Dame quar- terback and tight end about 20 years ago. Clark didn't try to influence his star de- fensive lineman to Notre Dame, but he certainly was a readily available resource. "I'd ask him about the school and his time there," Golden added. "He'd tell me about the dorms, academics and football." Golden is rated as a three-star pros- pect and the No. 59 defensive lineman in America by Rivals, while 247 Sports and ESPN list him as the No. 16 and No. 9 de- fensive lineman nationally, respectively. Last season, Golden recorded 61 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 8 quarterback hurries and 1 pass broken up in 11 games. His performance earned him MaxPreps second-team junior All- America honors. He also competed in the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl, which now allows for juniors to participate. As a junior, Golden was named to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune All-Area first- team on defense and the Sports Illus- trated second-team all-state squad. He also competed in wrestling as a junior, trying the sport for the first time. Golden is originally from Virginia and began his high school career at King George (Va.) High. As a sophomore, he played for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy before transferring to Sarasota (Fla.) Car- dinal Mooney for his junior campaign. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE ELIJAH GOLDEN Sunshine State Defensive Lineman Picks Notre Dame Over SEC Schools FILM ANALYSIS "Elijah Golden is a big, physical defensive line- man who can move. There aren't a lot of guys with his size and strength who can move like he does. He has great hands, plays low and has great feet. His improvement throughout the sea - son last year was noticeable. "This season, I really think he's going to have a breakout year. He's a good enough athlete to play anywhere on the defensive line." — Cardinal Mooney head coach Jared Clark Golden — who recorded 61 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and 8 quarterback hurries in 11 games as a junior last year — chose the Irish over Alabama, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech Aug. 9. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 "I really like the coaching staff and the people around the pro- gram. I feel that it's the best fit for me." GOLDEN ON NOTRE DAME