2026 DL Elijah Golden Says Notre Dame Offer "Means A Lot"

Elijah Golden‍ had St. Patrick’s Day circled on his calendar for a while and it paid off as the 2026 IMG Academy defensive lineman landed an offer from Notre Dame.

“It means a lot,” the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder said. “I was actually waiting on the offer for a long time, like a long time. I was waiting on Pot of Gold Day. I had my calendar set. It actually meant a lot.”

Golden said it meant so much because he felt like he’d earned it.

“It's important because I went there last year for camp and I balled out and it’s just a big day,” he said.

Golden also has offers from schools like Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Indiana among others.

Still, Notre Dame is a school that stands out.

“I like the coaching staff,” he said. “I love the campus. Everybody there is positive and just being there feels great. It just feels good being there.”

He stays in regular contact with Al Golden, Al Washington and Chad Bowden.

“They're just great dudes,” he said. “I love the way they coach and how they operate the system there.”

Golden is already looking to return to South Bend.

“I might be going to the spring game on April 20th,” he said. 

He has a couple other trips in mind also.

“I might go to Indiana and I might go to Virginia Tech as well,” he said.

He doesn’t have a firm timetable for a decision.

“I don't know yet, but I was thinking about before the season my senior year. Who knows? I'm just seeing how everything plays out now.”

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