Elite DB Dallas Golden commits to Notre Dame football, breaks down his decision

Notre Dame just pulled off a major recruiting victory, landing a commitment from Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep class of 2025 four-star defensive back prospect Dallas Golden.

On Sunday afternoon, Golden announced his pledge to the Fighting Irish over the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, USC. He held well over 30 scholarship offers.

“I had that gut feeling,” Golden told Blue & Gold prior to making his decision public regarding his Notre Dame pledge. “I prayed and talked to my family about it. It feels like the right decision.

“They give me a family feel; it is so organic when talking to the coaches. I’ve been building strong relationships with Coach [Mike] Mickens, Coach [Marcus] Freeman, Coach [Al] Golden and Coach Chad [Bowden]. That was important throughout my process.”

Notre Dame offered Golden back in Aug. 2022, making their pursuit of him span nearly two years. He visited campus three times, checking out the Blue-Gold Game in 2023, returning to campus to see the Irish blow out rival USC last October and again in January 2024 for the staff’s junior day recruiting event.

Golden is Notre Dame’s fourth defensive back commit and 20^th overall pledge of the 2025 cycle. He’s the third highest-ranked commit of ND’s class.

The 6-0, 182-pounder ranks as the nation’s No. 104 overall recruit and No. 12 safety, plus the No. 15 prospect from Florida, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Golden goes in depth on Notre Dame commitment

He could’ve taken more time with his recruiting process. Official visit season is around the corner, and he was going to take an early June trip out to Clemson, a school that he was very interested in throughout the process.

Golden took spring visits to Georgia, Florida State, Miami, Texas A&M and UCF and hadn’t been to South Bend since January.

He had the “gut feeling” to pick Notre Dame without making a campus visit for a few months. His last trip to ND left a lasting impression.

“That visit went to in January — it was different,” Golden said.

He informed the Irish staff of his commitment decision Wednesday evening. He spoke with Freeman, Mickens and Bowden about it, and the staff was pleasantly surprised about the big news.

“They’re really excited,” added Golden. “They’re ready to get to work with me.”

Regardless of position, Golden has been a top target for the Irish staff in the 2025 cycle for a long time, and the rising senior recruit felt that he was a major priority. That was important to him, as well as another 2025 prospect who he connected with.

“No doubt — that definitely played a huge impact,” Golden noted. “And also — [Irish quarterback commit] Deuce Knight was recruiting me a lot and helped me with the process. We talked and built a relationship over time. He’s fired up [about me committing].”

Golden is currently listed as a safety by On3, and he can play that position, be used as an offensive skill weapon or play cornerback at the next level. Notre Dame is taking him as a cornerback, and Golden has a strong connection with his future position coach.

“He’s a really great person,” Golden said of Mickens. “I have family friends at Notre Dame right now ­— Troy and Tre Reader ­— and they tell me great things about Coach Mickens. Being around him is a great vibe.”

When being asked about what his recruiting process will look like moving forward with regards to other schools potentially continuing their pursuit of him, Golden responded very quickly.

“No sir — I’m 100 percent with Notre Dame,” he answered. “My family and I aren’t interested in the decommitting thing.”

Golden plans to sign with Notre Dame in December and enroll at the university next summer.

The Dallas Golden File

Golden’s junior season was sensational in all facets of the game. As an offensive weapon, he ran 205 times for 1,467 yards with 19 touchdowns and added 32 receptions for 394 yards with five more scores. He even threw a touchdown in 2023.

Defensively, Golden posted 9 tackles, 5 interceptions, 4 pass break ups and 1 blocked field goal. He also handled return duties, averaging 25.1 yards per kick return and 3.7 yards per punt return. He had a kickoff return long of 64 yards and punt return long of 33.

Golden helped lead Berkeley Prep to a Florida 2M state championship game, knocking off Miami Norland 28-20. He posted 183 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on 23 carries, plus 2 receptions for 38 yards and a score in that contest.

SB Live named him its 2023 Florida Class 2M Player of the year. Golden was listed as Big County Prep’s Player of the Year in the Tampa area.

MaxPreps listed Golden on its 2023 MaxPreps High School Football Junior All-America first-team defense as an all-purpose defensive player.

As a sophomore in 2022, Golden ran for 1,403 yards with 18 touchdowns on 191 carries, plus 10 receptions for 145 yards and a score. He had 14 tackles and 2 pass break ups defensively. Golden had a punt return touchdown, too.