Apr 12, 2025; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman waits to run onto the field during the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium. Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Notre Dame Trending for Top Defensive Recruit After New Prediction

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 12:25 PM ET

Notre Dame is fresh off a massive June in terms of recruiting and is looking to stay hot in July. That begins right away as three wide receiver targets are set to announce their college choices starting Friday evening, but will continue later in the month as well.

Earlier in the week, defensive line target Elijah Golden announced he would be making his college choice on July 26. Notre Dame will have a seat at his final table, as will Alabama, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech. He's ranked as a four-star recruit and the 107th overall player in the cycle according to 247Sports.

Good news in terms of predictions have come in since that announcement as Mike Singer of On3 and now John Garcia, Jr. of Rivals have pegged Golden to end up picking the Fighting Irish. Singer's prediction came out earlier in the week while Garcia made his on Friday morning.

Rivals’ @JohnGarcia_Jr has logged an expert prediction for Notre Dame to land 4-star DL Elijah Golden☘️

Read: https://t.co/ahKzFiD7Yj pic.twitter.com/oAB1mr2jsF
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 4, 2025

Golden is projected to be the kind of difference maker on the defensive line that Notre Dame could use in the 2026 class. He checks in at 6-4, 275 pounds and stars at Cardinal Mooney in Sarasota, Florida, for head coach Jared Clark, who formerly played both quarterback and tight end at Notre Dame.