Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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58 MARCH 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER E lijah Golden played his freshman season at King George High in his home state of Virginia before moving to Florida with his family and trans- ferring to IMG Academy in Braden- ton. It's a well-known powerhouse program that brings in top recruits from all over the country to play a national schedule. He earned several offers prior to transferring to IMG for his sopho- more season, and his recruiting pro- cess took off even more. Still, the boarding school wasn't the best fit for him. The IMG staff convinced Golden to give it another chance, but it wasn't working for him. He transferred to Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney — coached by for- mer Notre Dame tight end Jared Clark — for his junior season. And he was right at home. "It's not a knock on IMG; they didn't do a bad job with him," Cardi- nal Mooney defensive coordinator Jon Haskins told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "He just wanted something different. They don't have homecoming, and you can't wrestle even if you've never done it." Haskins didn't bring up that sport as a random example. After Golden's ju- nior football season, he joined the Cou- gars' wrestling team. "I asked him if he was a good wres- tler, and he said, 'I've never done it,'" recalled Haskins. "He wasn't ever go- ing to be a college wrestler. He just was a kid who wanted to compete. He wanted to get better. This world can be so much about adding credentials to your résumé, but he didn't wrestle for that reason. "Elijah just wanted to be a kid and get better. He thought that it could help him be a better football player, but he wanted to be a high school kid and help the team. That said every- thing about Elijah. He really put him- self out there by doing that." Golden logged 39 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, 38 quarterback hurries and 76 total tackles in his 15-game se- nior season, helping lead Cardinal Mooney to a Florida 2A state champi- onship. He ended the 2026 cycle as a stock-up recruit, going from a Rivals three-star prospect to the nation's No. 20 defensive lineman and No. 229 overall player in America. "Elijah's best days are ahead of him," Haskins said. "He's only going to get better in the competitive envi- ronment at Notre Dame. "He's a great fit at a great school. Besides being a really good football player with a high ceiling, he's special off the field. He's a great kid from a great family." ✦ Wrestling Helped Elijah Golden Improve On And Off The Field ELIJAH GOLDEN DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-4 · 275 CARDINAL MOONEY H.S. (FLA.) FREDERICKSBURG, VA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪✪ 164 17 24 ✪✪✪✪ 229 20 26 ✪✪✪✪ 222 30 28 ✪✪✪✪ 116 16 17 STATISTICS • Notched 76 stops, 39 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, 38 QB hurries and 2 passes broken up in helping lead Cardinal Mooney to a Florida 2A state cham- pionship as a senior in 2025. • Recorded 61 stops, 29 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 8 quarterback hurries and 1 pass broken up as a junior in 2024. • Started his prep career at King George (Va.) High before transferring to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy as a sophomore and then moving to Cardinal Mooney in Sarasota, Fla., for his junior and senior years. NOTABLE • Was a 2026 Navy All-American Bowl participant. • Recognized as a 2025 Rivals High School All- American. • Named a MaxPreps second-team Junior All- American in 2024. • Earned Sarasota Herald-Tribune All-Area first- team honors in 2024 and 2025. • Tabbed second-team all-state by Sports Illus- trated in 2024. • Received Florida High School Athletic Associa- tion first-team 3A all-state accolades in 2024. • Was coached by former Irish tight end Jared Clark at Cardinal Mooney. • Also competed in wrestling as a junior. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Aug. 9, 2025. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Irish over Alabama, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech. • Recruited by former Irish defensive line coach Al Washington. • Visited Notre Dame six times, including his of- ficial visit on June 20, 2025. 2026 PROJECTION • Golden is likely to redshirt as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Cardinal Mooney head coach Jared Clark: "He's a big, physical defensive lineman 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 has been so noticeable. He's a good enough athlete to play anywhere on the de- fensive line." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He's got good size, is very active and uses his hands well. He's very well coached. Notre Dame really needs players like him on the inside. He's a very good player and has a really good attitude. Golden has played all along the defensive line during his high school career. His coaches rave about his work ethic and quickness. "He dominates in the pass rush, does a great job of avoiding blocks, has exceptionally long arms and very quick feet. What I love most about Elijah is his attitude. He is aggressive, tough and has a nonstop motor. He's one of the more dominating defensive linemen in the South." Golden, who participated in the Navy All-American Game and was tabbed as a Rivals High School All-American, wrestled as a junior to better himself as a competitor. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS