Notre Dame Recruiting: Will the Irish Land 2026 DL Elijah Golden?

Notre Dame fans and the staff alike have been anxiously awaiting Golden's announcement, especially considering he has now moved it back twice. It appears that there were logistical concerns with family and friends who were not able to make the original dates, but there was speculation that Golden was also not quite ready to make a decision at either of those times.

Golden has come out and said multiple times that he does not want to be the kind of recruit to flip or visit other programs once he is committed. He wants his decision to be final, and that is music to Notre Dame's ears, especially considering the Fighting Irish have been the perceived leader for Golden's pledge for months now.

Landing a talent of Golden's caliber would be massive for Notre Dame, not to mention it comes at a position of need. You can truly never have enough stud defensive linemen in college football these days, and Golden is exactly that.

Notre Dame has recognized a need at defensive tackle specifically, and Golden is the type of player that can come in and make an impact immediately; he is that good.

Will Notre Dame sign Elijah Golden?

With all of that being said ... prediction? Based on pure speculation, we expect Notre Dame to land Elijah Golden's commitment on August 9.

Despite a strong final four of Alabama, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech, the Fighting Irish have led for Golden's pledge for months and look to be in pole position to get this one done.

Golden has the positional flexibility and versatility to be an impact player for Notre Dame all across the defensive line. He will likely end up at defensive tackle, but has an opportunity to come in and immediately challenge for snaps at strong-side defensive end.

If Notre Dame can get this one over the line, this would be a massive commitment for the Fighting Irish.