Fast Rising DL Elijah Golden Talks Notre Dame Offer

Notre Dame extended over 100 of the top players from the 2026 recruiting class during their Pot of Gold offer event on Sunday. That includes Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive lineman Elijah Golden, who is considered one of the more physically gifted players at his position in the class.

The Irish have made a great early impression on Golden, which could prove to be huge for the staff. He is widely considered a player that should take a massive jump as a junior, and that is what Notre Dame is hoping for. They have positioned themselves really well in case.

“My impressions of the program were already good,” Golden told Irish Breakdown. “They have a great coaching staff. I am very blessed about being offered by Notre Dame.

“My relationship with them is the best,” he continued. “My relationship with them is developing a lot, especially recently.”

Notre Dame is also working on getting Golden on campus for a visit this offseason. That has actually already been finalized, along with checking out a couple of other schools.

“My recruitment has been good,” Golden explained. “Virginia Tech and Indiana are the schools that I've been in contact with the most, as well as Notre Dame. I probably will be visiting Virginia Tech, Indiana and the Notre Dame spring game.”

Getting the talented defender on campus will be huge. The Irish staff made a big time first impression on him, which continued on St. Patrick’s Day.

“I feel like Pot of Gold Day is a great day,” he said. “They offer so many athletes and being a part of it is a wonderful feeling.”

Golden’s offer list has been developing quickly. Some of the top schools that have extended offers include the Irish, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Duke and Virginia among others.

The 6-5, 250-pound defensive lineman didn’t see much time at IMG Academy as a sophomore but is expected to be a huge riser as a junior. He is originally from the state of Virginia before making his way down to Bradenton.