DL Elijah Golden "Blessed" To Be Able To Sign With Notre Dame
Elijah Golden officially signed with Notre Dame earlier this month, locking in his spot as part of the Irish’s 2026 class and closing a recruiting process the Florida defensive lineman never took for granted.
“It feels great,” Golden told Irish Sports Daily. “It’s definitely a blessing to be in a position to be able to commit to Notre Dame and to be able to sign with Notre Dame.
“It’s definitely a blessing to be a part of the program. It’s definitely a blessing to be able to even be recruited by Notre Dame.”
The Cardinal Mooney High School standout pointed to Notre Dame’s alignment across football, academics and culture as the deciding factor in his recruitment.
“The staff, the coaching staff, the education that they offer; just everything about the staff,” the Sarasota, Fla., native said. “I feel like everybody’s on point. Everybody’s on the same page and they all just work together and they have good chemistry together.”
Golden will enroll early and arrive in South Bend in less than a month. It’s an opportunity the 6-foot-4, 275-pound defender believes will help accelerate his transition to the college game.
“I’m going to get a lot out of it,” Golden said. “Getting bigger, getting faster, being able to get in the playbook early and showcase my talent on the practice field.”
Once on campus, Golden’s priorities will be rooted in growing physically and mentally, as he adjusts to Notre Dame’s demands.
“When I get there, my goal is to just grow as a person, grow as a football player, get bigger, get stronger, know the plays,” Golden said.
“Mainly just knowing the plays and just getting a feel for everything on the educational side as well.”
Golden also noted the early chemistry forming within Notre Dame’s entire 2026 recruiting class, relationships that were strengthened during his official visit to campus in June.
“We have a pretty good bond,” Golden said. “Just by talking to each other. We post each other’s stuff on social media, stuff like that.
“It’s going to help out a lot. Because on my OV I was actually bonding with everybody there, so I was able to get their Instagram and stuff and still talk to them here and there after the OV.”
Looking ahead, Golden’s expectations for his role in South Bend are pretty straightforward.
“Just to go in and just be a big factor for the team.”
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