Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington during Notre Dame Spring Practice on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Irish Athletics Center in South Bend, Indiana. John Mersits / USA TODAY NETWORK

Will Notre Dame Land Key 2026 Defensive Target Elijah Golden?

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Mason Plummer | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 2:08 PM ET

Notre Dame boasts one of the best recruiting classes in the country, currently ranked No.5 by 247Sports. It holds 26 commitments with room for only a few more additions down the stretch, which leaves all eyes focused on 2026 four-star defensive lineman Elijah Golden.

The 6-4, 275-pounder out of Sarasota (Cardinal Mooney), Florida, has been a top of the board target for the Fighting Irish for over a year, as Golden was a "Pot of Gold" offer for Notre Dame back on March 19, 2024.

Golden has become a priority because of his talent, and the potential he has to be a star at the next level. He also happens to play a position that Notre Dame has struggled to recruit in recent years. Truth be told, you can never have enough standout defensive linemen, especially interior defensive linemen, and Golden fits the bill and then some.

Update:

Top247 DL Elijah Golden is pushing back his commitment, one that was scheduled for July.

He will now announce AUGUST 9 at 3:30 PM ET.

The announcement will still air live on the 247Sports YouTube Channel.

* Alabama
* Notre Dame
* Oklahoma
* Virginia Tech

VIP:… pic.twitter.com/O6kTOvlPYG
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) July 17, 2025

Golden narrowed down his recruitment to a final four of Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech weeks ago, but has since moved back his original commitment date twice. This could be a situation where logistics didn't pan out for his announcement, or a case where he is genuinely unsure and doesn't want to rush into a decision just because he set a commitment date.

The truth likely lies in between, with Golden making it clear in interviews that he wants to make the right decision the first time and flip his commitment.

Notre Dame has put itself in great position to land Golden, despite the setbacks and commitment dates being moved around. The recruiting staff, led by head coach Marcus Freeman, has put a full-court press on Golden, doing everything in their power to ensure he picks the Fighting Irish.

At this point, when this staff is locked in on a target, they are rarely missing. Despite Alabama and Oklahoma pushing to make this one interesting, I expect Notre Dame to land Elijah Golden on August 9, his new commitment date.

Golden is ranked by 247Sports as a four-star recruit, the No.16 defensive lineman in the 2026 class and No.112 overall player. If Notre Dame can land his pledge, he would be the 14th recruit in this cycle inside the top 247 players in the country, an outstanding achievement.

For reference, the 2025 and 2024 cycles had 11 and eight respectively.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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