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Status:
Uncommitted
HIGH SCHOOL

Elijah Golden

Defensive End
6′4″ / 260 lbs
Sarasota, FL
Cardinal Mooney
Class of 2026
Rating: 92
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National Avg
Rating: 91.5
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School Preferences

School
Interest
Offer
Official Visit
Notre Dame
Medium
Auburn
Medium
Campbell
Medium
Charlotte
Medium
Duke
Medium
Florida
Medium
Florida A&M
Medium
Illinois
Medium
Indiana
Medium
Jackson State
Medium
Louisville
Medium
Maryland
Medium
Michigan
Medium
Michigan State
Medium
North Carolina
Medium
Ohio State
Medium
Pittsburgh
Medium
Stanford
Medium
Virginia
Medium
Virginia Tech
Medium
West Virginia
Medium
+ 16 More

Staff Predictions

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Confidence
Prediction
Name & Date
Our staff hasn't made any predictions for Elijah Golden yet.

Videos

(3 Total)
Full Season Highlights 22-23
Elijah Golden Sophmore Highlights
Mid season Highlights (Best Plays)

Updates

Matt  Freeman
1 day ago by Matt Freeman
2026 DL Elijah Golden Sets Notre Dame Visit
2026 Cardinal Mooney (Fla.) defensive lineman Elijah Golden will be back at Notre Dame for an unofficial visit on April 17th per a source. The four-star prospect has been a frequent visitor over the last year and Al Washington returned the favor in January by stopping by his high school to chat. If Notre Dame led, I'm not sure it would be a shock, but it's clear Golden is giving other programs every chance to change his mind as he'll also be at Alabama, Clemson and Virginia Tech in the coming weeks. Florida is a program that has made quiet moves dating back to the fall, so I'd keep tabs on Billy Napier in this recruitment as well. Notre Dame and Washington are pushing hard. There are some positive Notre Dame influences in his life, so it'll be interesting to see how that plays into Golden's decision when he goes into decision mode. https://www.hudl.com/video/3/23678259/67194ae8504af328c4de9d6cUnder Armour Green Notre Dame Fighting Irish Performance Playoff Polo
Matt  Freeman
6 days ago by Matt Freeman
Some testing notes from the UA Camp in Orlando
Here's some verified testing from Notre Dame's targets, potential targets and some former targets.2026 QB Noah Grubbs (Commit) HT: 6-4.4 WT: 197Wingspan: 77.5 Shuttle: 4.46Vertical: 26.5Broad: 9-1.7Hand: 92026 DL Elijah Golden (Offer) HT: 6-4.1WT: 251Wingspan: 79.410-yard: 1.7540: 4.98Shuttle: 4.71Vertical: 21.5Broad: 8-1.72026 DE Jarius Rodgers - Syracuse commit (ND offer) HT: 6-4.4WT: 218Wingspan: 81.410-yard: 1.940: 4.91Shuttle: 4.72Vertical: 27.6Broad: 9-3.62026 OL Chancellor Barclay - Visited Notre Dame (no offer) HT: 6-3.7WT: 287Wingspan: 80.910-yard: 1.9140: 5.35Shuttle: 4.79Vertical: 22.9Broad: 8-3.42028 DE Asher Ghioto - 30 offers (no offer) HT: 6-4.5WT: 237Wingspan: 77.8 10-yard: 1.7540: 4.68Shuttle: 4.53 Vertical: 27.1Broad: 9-2.8https://www.hudl.com/video/3/22338333/66f077186172dc78fbe2b388Under Armour Kelly Green Notre Dame Fighting Irish Playoff Chest Stripe Performance Polo
Matt  Freeman
8 days ago by Matt Freeman
Note on 2026 DL Simote Katoanga
2026 J Serra Catholic (Calif.) defensive lineman Simote Katoanga has committed to USC. This is a big one off the board for the Irish. Katoanga, in my opinion, is the best player in California in 2026 and Notre Dame had a great shot at landing him with his former high school teammate Madden Faraimo already on campus in South Bend. In fact, I believe the four-star was a silent commit to Notre Dame and he was setting up visits this spring and then was planning to return in June for an official visit. He's the name USC needed to land in the 2026 class to send a message not only to Notre Dame, but now the message has been received to the B10 when you combine the flip from former Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams earlier this week.It's a bit of a surprise that Katoanga ended it now, but we'll see what happens down the road. That said, USC is doing exactly what I expected them to do with the new faces in the recruiting office. They are prioritizing LA and the state of California to keep the in-state kids home. I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but USC has a serious issue of keeping California kids in-state the last two classes. In 2025, USC signed 4 of the top 56 prospects (3, 14, 19, 56) and in 2024 they signed 5 in the top 31 (11, 16, 26, 27, 31). That's bad. It's a hit to Notre Dame, but the good news is they are also in a strong position with McHale Blade and Elijah Golden, who are like Katoanga and can play 5-tech and 3-tech. Notre Dame is also very much in it for Tiki Hola and Damari Simeon as kids who can play 3-tech. I'd be willing to bet Notre Dame won't be done in this recruitment despite today's events. Under Armour Navy Notre Dame Fighting Irish Performance Playoff Polo
2026 DL Elijah Golden Planning Notre Dame Official
12 days ago by Christian McCollum
2026 DL Elijah Golden Planning Notre Dame Official
2026 Florida defensive lineman Elijah Golden hasn't completely locked in all of his official visits yet, but says one will be to South Bend.
Making Moves | Notre Dame Football on the Recruiting Trail 1.29
1 mo ago by Matt Freeman
Making Moves | Notre Dame Football on the Recruiting Trail 1.29
Notre Dame's coaching staff will continue working its way east on Wednesday.
All Updates

Photos

(4 Total)
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National Average Rating

The National Average Rating is a proprietary formula that calculates an industry-wide aggregate rating for each recruiting prospect. The formula includes publicly listed grades, scores, ratings and rankings by national recruiting services, along with a Irish Sports Daily rating. Combining the data provides a rating for each prospect, which is then normalized to fit the Irish Sports Daily Rating 100-point scale.

The intent of this rating is to provide Irish Sports Daily readers with a comprehensive snapshot of how individual prospects rank nationally.
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Irish Sports Daily Rating

99-100: Elite national prospect (Five-star)

Considered one of the best prospects in the nation and a likely difference-maker at the collegiate level. Displays all of the physical skills to be a future All-American with potential to be an early-round NFL draft pick.

90-98: Elite state prospect (Four-star)

Considered one of the best 30-40 prospects in the state and a top 250 national prospect. Displays the physical skills to be a major early contributor at the collegiate level with high professional potential.

80-89: Quality prospect (Three-star)

Considered one of the best 100 prospects in the state and a top 500 national prospect. Displays the physical skills to develop into a contributor over the course of his college career. Has the ability to become a professional prospect over time with development.

70-79: Solid prospect (Two-star)

Considered one of the top 250 prospects in the state. Has the physical skills to be a potential contributor at a D-1 program over the course of his collegiate career with significant development. Professional potential is low.
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Staff Predictions

The predictions represent which school each staff member believes will ultimately sign the recruit, and the confidence meter represents his level of certainty in that outcome.

Example #1

If the predicted school is Notre Dame and confidence is set to “High”, then the staff member is saying “I believe that this recruit will ultimately sign with Notre Dame and I feel very certain about that.”

Example #2

If the predicted school is “Alabama” and confidence is set to “Low,” then the staff member is saying “I believe that this recruit will ultimately sign with Alabama, but I’m not very certain about that.”
 
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