2026 Notre Dame DL Target Elijah Golden Reconnects With Al Washington

Elijah Golden‍ has been a top target for Notre Dame for over a year now, so it was no surprise the Irish made it a point to get to see the 2026 Florida defensive lineman as soon as they hit the road for spring recruiting last week.

“They were by Monday,” Golden said. 

Monday, in fact, was the very first day the Irish staff hit the road and Golden was excited to see Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington drop in as soon as he could.

“It definitely means a lot,” Golden said. “It shows how much of a priority I am to them.”

Golden confirmed Notre Dame has been making him feel like a priority for a long time.

“Consistently too,” he added.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder has offers from schools like Notre Dame, Alabama, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Stanford, Michigan, Florida, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M among several others. 

Golden was just in South Bend a couple weeks ago, so it was good for him to reconnect with Washington in person. 

“We were just catching up, catching up about my previous visit and for when I come back in June,” Golden said.

The message from Washington has been a clear one.

“Just how good Notre Dame is,” Golden explained. “How it's just more than football. It's more than football, it's 40 years of life.”

Golden believes what he’s being told as well.

“I'm definitely buying that,” he said. “I already knew that a Notre Dame degree can hold a lot, lot, lot of weight. And a bunch of people, a lot of people tell me how good their degree is. And not just their degree. Their football is second to none.”

So, when he gets back to South Bend for next month’s official visit, it’ll be more about learning what life in South Bend would be like.

“I want to get more into the student life,” he said. “Those are the people who I'll be around every day and hanging around after classes.”

He also has official visits set to Alabama, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. He’s considering an official to Stanford as well, but added, “I'm still trying to see how my schedule fits.”

Golden does not have a timeline yet for a decision. 

“It's just God's plan.”

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