Alabama DL Target Locks in Commitment Date

He made stops this summer with each of his finalists, kicking things off with Virginia Tech on May 30. Golden then went to Oklahoma on June 6 before heading to Tuscaloosa on June 13, and finally Notre Dame on June 20.

Golden is ranked as the No. 24 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 26 player in the Sunshine state, according to 247Sports' composite ranking. As a junior for Cardinal Mooney High School he finished with a 61 tackles, 29.0 TFL's and 10.0 sacks.

As of now, Alabama holds commitments from seven other defensive prospects, and is up to 15 total commits, but is still looking to add premium talent to the class. Kalen DeBoer and the staff have been extremely active this summer, and are likely to continue rolling throughout the month of July as well.

Upcoming Decision Dates to Watch

5-Star WR Cederian Morgan - July 2
5-Star S Jireh Edwards - July 5
3-Star LB Kayron Maycock - July 7
4-Star LB Nick Abrams II - July 16
4-Star DL Elijah Golden - July 26

2026 Football Commits

1. CB Zyan Gibson, 5-foot-11, 177 lbs. - Gadsden, Alabama (Committed 12/24/2024)
2. CB Jorden Edmonds, 6-foot-2, 175 lbs. - Marietta, Georgia (Committed 03/26/2025)
3. EDGE Jamarion Matthews, 6-foot-2, 240 lbs. - Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 02/21/2025)
4. EDGE Kamhariyan Johnson, 6-foot-4, 260 lbs. - Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Committed 04/12/2025)
5. OL Chris Booker, 6-foot-4, 285 lbs. - Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 02/20/2025)
6. OL Sam Utu, 6-foot-4, 320 lbs. - Orange, California (Committed 06/09/2025)
7. QB Jett Thomalla, 6-foot-3, 205 lbs. - Omaha, Nebraska (Committed 06/17/2025)
8. DL JJ Finch, 6-foot-3. 260 lbs. - Indianapolis, Indiana (Committed 06/22/2025)
9. RB Javari Barnett, 5-foot-11, 205 lbs. - Tampa Bay, Florida (Committed 06/23/2025)
10. S Rihyael Kelley, 6-foot-3, 180 lbs. - Cincinnati, Ohio (Committed 06/23/2025)
11. SN Eli Deutsch, 6-foot-2, 225 lbs. - Franklin, Wisconsin (Committed 06/24/2025)
12. RB Ezavier Crowell, 5-foot-10, 210 lbs. - Jackson, Alabama (Committed 06/26/2025)
13. TE Mack Sutter, 6-foot-5, 230 lbs. - Dunlap, Illinois (Committed 06/26/2025)
14. LB Xavier Griffin, 6-foot-3, 200 lbs. - Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 06/29/2025)
15. WR Owen Cabell, 6-foot-2, 201 lbs. - Nashville, Tennessee (Committed 06/30/2025)

Check out the Alabama football recruiting tracker to stay up to date with the 2026 class and beyond.

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