Notre Dame quickly closing in on elite DL commitment as final visits loom

The Notre Dame football team continues to be on one of those heaters that could eventually see Marcus Freeman and his staff as the top class in the 2026 cycle. In order to do that though, they’ll need to land guys like defensive lineman Elijah Golden when he pulls the trigger later this summer.

So how are the Fighting Irish doing in that regard? It certainly seems as though he’s pretty close to pull the trigger for the Blue and Gold. And yet, there are some other teams that are trying to get in on the 4-star lineman’s recruitment before he makes South Bend his home.

Golden is planning visits over the next few weeks before he commits. The defensive lineman out of Cardinal Mooney (King George, VA) has four trips planned to Virginia Tech, (taken on May 30) Oklahoma (June 6), Alabama (June 13) and then the Notre Dame football team last (June 20) but certainly not least.

So should Irish fans be worried about Golden taking in other schools? There’s a couple of reasons why the answer to that question certainly seems to be no. Right at the top of the list is that he’s taking his final visit to Notre Dame.

His comments to On3’s Mike Singer are also pretty encouraging considering how much he’s looked like an Irish lean for months. “I kind of know where I’m going, but I also don’t at the same time. I just want to take these trips and see all the coaches.”

It stands to reason that the place where Elijah Golden “kind of knows” where he’s going is South Bend. He’s seen what Notre Dame football has to offer. While he’s also on the move to see others, it feels like the commitment will eventually come back to Marcus Freeman and his staff when the summer is over.