"There's no real message": Four-star priority target recaps in-home visit from Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame staff

Four-star defensive lineman Elijah Golden‍ has been on Notre Dame’s radar since his freshman year, with Fighting Irish defensive line coach Al Washington leading the recruitment effort. Earlier this month, Washington conducted an in-home visit to the Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota, Florida) standout.

“It was pretty good,” Golden said on Tuesday, via Irish Sports Daily. “We sat down, had a great talk, about an hour. We had a good time talking and chopping it up. There's no real message. We've just been checking in with each other. He's been asking me about how my team is doing, goals for the season and stuff like that, leadership."

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Golden is the No. 22 defensive lineman in the 2026 class and the No. 34 recruit in Florida, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Marcus Freeman's program already holds three commitments from Florida's USA Today Top 100 and is eager to add Golden to that list.

Golden visited South Bend in April, where he observed practices and explored the academic opportunities available to student-athletes.

"Everyone I talked to was telling me about how Notre Dame can help not just on the field but off the field too," Golden said on April 24, via Athlon Sports. "Coach Wash was really showing me some ways that I can become a better leader.”

As a junior in the 2024 season, Golden recorded 10 sacks and 29 tackles for loss. He continued to prove his versatility last week during a spring jamboree, playing both on the edge and interior against two opposing programs.

Elijah Golden will officially visit Notre Dame in June

Elijah Golden will start his official visit this week at Virginia Tech. He will then head to Oklahoma on June 6, Alabama on June 13 and Notre Dame on June 20. However, he doesn’t have a date set for commitment.

“Just waiting on God’s timing,” Golden said in April, via Irish Breakdown. “When the time is right and I feel it, I’ll make a decision.”

In June, recruiting analyst Tom Loy of 247Sports predicted that Golden would choose Notre Dame. On3 also lists the Fighting Irish as the frontrunner in his recruitment, giving them a 25.9% chance of landing his commitment.

Golden hasn’t shown a clear preference yet but said that strong relationships with coaches will play a major role in his decision.

“It's very important,” Golden said on Tuesday, via Irish Sports Daily. “I feel like going to the next level and having a good relationship with not only your position coach, but other coaches is good to have. I feel like that is key.”

Notre Dame has 16 committed players in the 2026 class, ranking No. 4 in the nation.