The final remaining Notre Dame football recruiting target in the 2026 class is set to reveal his decision.
On Saturday, Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Elijah Golden will announce his verbal commitment. The four-star prospect is choosing among Notre Dame, Alabama, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech after officially visiting all four schools in June.
Before narrowing his list, the 6-foot-3½, 278-pound Golden reported scholarship offers from 35 other Power Four programs. Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Oregon, Penn State and Texas A&M were among the heavyweights that pursued him.
Golden is ranked the No. 191 overall prospect, No. 19 defensive lineman nationally and No. 26 player in Florida, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
He began his high school career at King George (Va.) High in his home state before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for his sophomore season. Golden then moved to Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney, where he’s played the past two years under head coach Jared Clark, a former Notre Dame quarterback and tight end.
Where will Elijah Golden commit?
Following his official visit tour, Notre Dame appeared to hold the momentum.
On June 29 — about a week after his trip to South Bend — Blue & Gold reported Golden would announce his decision on July 26. Predictions began trending in Notre Dame’s favor in the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), including one from Blue & Gold recruiting insider Mike Singer.
However, on July 17, Golden decided to postpone his initial July 26 commitment by two weeks. Since then, Oklahoma has made a strong push, while Alabama and Virginia Tech have stayed in the mix.
Alabama already holds three interior defensive line commitments in the 2026 class: Nolan Wilson, Kamhariyan Johnson and JJ Finch. They rank as the Nos. 3, 36 and 54 defensive linemen, respectively. Notre Dame (Tiki Hola) and Oklahoma (Brian Harris) each have one interior defensive line commit. Virginia Tech is still seeking its first.
The Irish (Rodney Dunham and Ebenezer Ewetade), Sooners (Matthew Nelson and Daniel Norman) and Hokies (Kamdon Gillespie and Kamren Johnson) also have two EDGE commits each, while the Tide have one (Jamarion Matthews).
Five days before Golden’s decision date, Rivals vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong entered a prediction in Notre Dame’s favor. If Golden commits to the Irish, he would become their 27th pledge in the 2026 cycle and strengthen a class that currently ranks No. 4 nationally.
How to watch Elijah Golden’s commitment
Golden will announce his decision Saturday, Aug. 9, at 3:30 p.m. ET on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel. The four hats on the table will be Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech.
Last season, Golden recorded 61 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 8 quarterback hurries and a pass breakup in 11 games. His performance earned him MaxPreps second-team junior All-America honors. He also competed in the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl.
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