Dallas Golden Puts Notre Dame Back on Top in Recruiting Rankings
IN SOUTH BEND, IN Dallas Golden could provide a reliable response since he has observed enough college programs. The four-star defensive back, a national recruit with offers from Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Florida State, USC, Clemson, Texas, Notre Dame, and Michigan, was asked earlier this year which school, out of the ones he has visited, had the greatest facilities. The Tampa, Florida, Berkeley Prep standout did not have to search far for the solutions.
“Florida or Georgia,” Golden said. “They’re kind of close.”
Notre Dame will now also be. It was not the news on Sunday that Shields Hall, the football program’s new central command, will open in two years that convinced Golden to commit to Notre Dame. However, he is the first possibility to choose Ireland since the university said that it would build a cutting-edge football stadium in front of the Blue-Gold Game. With this endeavor, Notre Dame should be on par with some of the other elite teams in the sport.
Spaces for rehabilitation, education, training, and nourishment will all be included in that structure. It also demonstrated Notre Dame’s dedication to raising money for a possible nine-figure project that supports head coach Marcus Freeman.
Golden has now stated publicly that he wishes to take part in it.
Unexpected: Four-Star Security He tells me that Dallas Golden has committed to Notre Dame for @on3recruits.
The 6’1 185 S from Tampa, Florida, decided on the Fighting Irish instead of Georgia, Florida State, and Clemson.
“Golden to the Golden Dome”, All Glory to God! ”https://t.co/TIQF57NQOK pic.twitter.com/RDS22SIqrU
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 28, 2024
With the 6-foot, 176-pound athlete choosing Notre Dame over that national list of offers on Sunday, Freeman gained a valuable addition to his upcoming recruiting class. In Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class, Golden is the 20th verbal commitment and might be the fifth defensive back, joining a group that already includes four-star safety Ivan Taylor.
With Golden’s commitment, Notre Dame surpasses Ohio State, which has seven fewer commitments, to reclaim the top spot in the team rankings on 247Sports. Golden, who is rated as high as 83 overall on 247Sports and as low as 172 on ESPN, is a four-star recruit according to all evaluations.
Why is Golden such a crucial commitment?
Berkeley Prep has produced some talented players, most notably defensive end Keon Keeley, who Notre Dame lost to Alabama two cycles ago despite their best efforts. That same cycle, the Irish managed to sign walk-on linebacker Tre Reader from the school. Ten years prior, the Irish had their eye on USC receiver Nelson Agholor, who went on to become a first-round choice.
Despite Berkeley Prep’s apparent alignment with Notre Dame, the Irish have had difficulty landing their best candidates. Golden, who is a good off-field fit for Notre Dame, is next in that march. Furthermore, it is difficult to locate elite students from Southern programs with a lot of talent who are open to considering the Midwest.
The Irish were relentless in their search for Golden, bringing him to campus three times in a 12-month period: at the winter junior day earlier this year, the USC home game the previous season, and the Blue-Gold Game in 2023. Despite being located halfway across the nation, Notre Dame seemed comfortable because of its link to Reader and its familiarity with Freeman’s recruiting appeal.
The Irish were relentless in their search for Golden, bringing him to campus three times in a 12-month period: at the winter junior day earlier this year, the USC home game the previous season, and the Blue-Gold Game in 2023. Despite being located halfway across the nation, Notre Dame seemed comfortable because of its link to Reader and its familiarity with Freeman’s recruiting appeal.
Where does he fit into Notre Dame’s defense?
Two recruiting websites show Golden as a safety, one as an athlete, and a third as a cornerback. It will take some time to determine Golden’s position in Notre Dame’s defense, but he has the physique of a rangy cornerback with the ability to get tough when called upon. When he gets to South Bend, he will start there.
Compared to what Golden and Taylor represent, Notre Dame’s signings of four defensive backs during the previous cycle were a group of more developing talent. Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs, two cornerbacks, were also three-star prospects. Security Despite being a four-star prospect, some schools projected Brauntae Johnson as a wide receiver. Kennedy Urlacher and Taebron Bennie-Powell, two three-star safeties, are both.
Golden possesses both size and range, making him a cornerback with the ability to project on the field or boundary depending on how the Irish choose to employ him.
Although Mike Mickens, the defensive backs coach, is Golden’s official recruiter, director of player personnel Chad Bowden played a significant role in securing the agreement.
(Photo of Marcus Freeman: Michael Miller / ISI Photos/Getty Images)