With a name like that, was there really ever any other option? Notre Dame (probably) put a lovely bow on its 2026 recruiting class today when blue-chip defensive lineman Elijah Golden announced for the Irish. The 6’4″, 275-pound Floridian is the 27th and, barring an in-season surprise, very likely the final commitment of the cycle. In early August. I feel old… Anyway. Golden was high on the Irish for a long time, showed some interest in Alabama along the way, and pushed back his commitment a few weeks as there were rumblings of a late move by Oklahoma. Virginia Tech also made his list of finalists recently. Still, Marcus Freeman and his circle once again found a way to get it done though, cementing their claim as lords of the office coffee machine.

Golden is an excellent prospect in and of himself who will have a great chance to fill an important need. Having said that, it’s also worth highlighting what his commitment means for the class collectively. What’s referred to as the “internet era” in college football extends from roughly 2000 forward – you could quibble a year or two in either direction but it wouldn’t change much. That’s the point where the internet recruiting services, really starting with Rivals, took off and took over from the old print publications and 900 lines (I know some of you paid way too much to listen to Tom Lemming say nothing). 247 has Composite ratings going back that far, which is a bit silly since the recruiting service landscape has changed dramatically numerous times over that stretch, but it’s helpful as a rough comparison tool at least. Some fun notes on how truly exceptional the 2026 class is:

  • Golden’s commitment bumps the 247 Composite class score to 296.2, which is by far the best of the internet era. The next closest are the 2013 class score at 284.8 and the 2006 class at 282.3.
  • In the internet era for Notre Dame, only Charlie Weis’s second class – his 2007 class, which had just 18 commits and followed on the heels of 9-3 and 10-3 seasons – has a higher 247 Composite average recruit score (0.9303) than Marcus Freeman’s 2026 group (0.9240). Not even Brian Kelly’s 2013 class, which was headlined by five-stars Jaylon Smith and Max Redfield.
  • Not surprisingly, 2013 and 2006 are also the only top five classes of the internet era for the Irish – each ranked 5th. 2026 has a solid chance at joining them; Golden’s commitment pushed the class rank from 5th to 3rd, barely ahead of Texas A&M and Alabama and a little more ahead of Texas and Oregon. Tough to handicap how all that will shake out and I doubt Notre Dame will stay 3rd, but they have a good chance to stay in the top five.
  • The 2026 class sets or matches internet-era highs in number of Composite five-stars (3), top 50 (4), top 150 (10), and top 200 (12) prospects.
  • It also sets an internet-era high in Rivals top 50 prospects with a whopping six (Rodney Dunham, Grayson McKeogh, Ebenezer Ewetade, Ian Premer, Khary Adams, Joey O’Brien). The previous high-water mark was [thumbs through pages and pages of records] four, set in 2024 (Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Guerby Lambert, Cam Williams, CJ Carr). The 2011 and 2013 classes had three each. That’s it.
  • The Irish have landed more Composite top 50 prospects from 2024 to 2026 (8) than they did from 2014 to 2023 (7).

Things are indeed very… [puts on David Caruso sunglasses] Golden for Marcus these days.

(I regret nothing.)

Recruiting Service Rankings

247Sports Composite — 4 star (.9358 rating), #162 overall, #23 DL, #21 in FL

On3 Industry Ranking — 4 star (91.45 rating), #191 overall, #19 DL, #26 in FL

The 247 Composite and On3 Industry Comparison both combine 247, Rivals/On3, and ESPN rankings.

247Sports — 4 star (92 rating), #112 overall, #16 DL, #13 in FL

Rivals — 3 star (88 rating), NR overall, #59 DL, #74 in FL

ESPN — 4 star (83 rating), #85 overall, #9 DE, #15 in FL

Irish Sports Daily — 4 star (92 rating)

Note: Jamie does the recruit evaluations for ISD, and we trust his evals as much as anyone’s. Jamie only ranks his “Fab 50” prospects in each class; in any given year a 95 rating would be the bottom end of their top 50.

Cohort

In addition to his finalists, Golden holds offers from Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Louisville, Michigan (lol), Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State (lol), Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, and Washington, among many others.

Highlights

Golden has a great frame – to look at him you might guess he’s 250-260, not his listed 275. He should have no problem adding good weight to get up to 300. He also moves really well at his size, both in terms of burst and lateral movement, and shows violent if raw hand action as a rusher. He had a few impressive grown-man-style sheds too, where he tossed an offensive lineman like a little brother. He plays way too high way too much, but he bends well enough as a pass rusher that I think that’s more a technique issue than an athletic limitation.

Impact

Golden may well need to develop physically and do some serious technique work on stance, hand positioning, etc. I don’t think he’s a plug-and-play instant impact guy. I do think he has an excellent blend of size, athleticism, and tenacity though that will give him every chance to be a high-level starter.

Welcome to the Irish family, Elijah!