Class Impact: Dallas Golden Is A Gap Closer For Notre Dame

Breaking down how the commitment of Florida athlete Dallas Golden impacts the Notre Dame recruiting class

Notre Dame commit Dallas Golden / Dallas Golden

Notre Dame landed a major commitment today with Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep star Dallas Golden pledging to the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame beat out some big time programs to land Golden, one of the best athletes in the country. Notre Dame beat out programs like Florida State, Georgia, Alabama, Miami (Fla.) and Florida for the talented athlete from the Sunshine State.

Let's take a look at what landing Golden means for the 2025 class, his fit into the Notre Dame defense and his game.

NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT

Golden is the 20th player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2025 class. He is the 10th defensive player in the class, the third defensive back and the second quarterback. Golden is also the fourth player to commit to Notre Dame from the state of Florida.

Notre Dame has recruited the cornerback position well in recent seasons, landing strong two-man hauls in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 classes. With depth being built in recent cycles, the focus in the 2025 class was impact talent and versatility. Landing Golden provides both, but the primary emphasis is on the impact talent he provides to the class.

With Golden joining a cornerback class that also includes Arizona standout Cree Thomas, the Irish have now met their minimum numbers need at cornerback. Thomas has the skillset to play either cornerback or safety, giving him even greater value than a recruit that can play just one spot. Golden is not only capable of thriving at cornerback and safety, but he would grade out as a four-star, Top 100 caliber recruit as an offensive player as well.

That kind of versatility is quite rare, and that only adds to why landing Golden is so huge for Notre Dame. With Golden and Thomas in a class that also includes elite safety  and talented safety , Notre Dame is on the verge of a truly special secondary class.

Notre Dame doesn't often land players like Golden, from a skillset standpoint, a geographical standpoint and when you consider his elite offer list. There is no doubt this is the kind of prospect that helps close the gap between the Irish and teams competing for and winning championships.

NOTRE DAME FIT - ANALYSIS

Golden could play wherever he wants at Notre Dame, or anywhere else. He could play either cornerback spot, he has slot talent, he could be an impact safety and he would be Notre Dame's highest graded running back in the class if he wanted to play offense. 

As a cornerback, Golden also has versatility, showing the size and cover skills to thrive as a boundary player, and the range and playmaking ability to play the field. He is a smooth athlete that is a willing tackler, and he is a quick decision maker in coverage, which also project well to the slot. This versatility will allow him to get on the field as quickly as possible by being able to fit in at whatever position he is needed. In a perfect world, Golden would be able to develop into a lockdown outside corner.

Golden is listed at 6-0 and 185 pounds, and he looks to have the kind of top-notch length you want in a man cover corner. He'll fill out nicely and he's already a willing tackler, so I expect this to be a strong part of his game at the next level. You can see his play strength shine when he's on offense. Golden has rushed for over 3,200 yards the last two seasons, and you don't do that against the schedule he's played against if you don't have good play strength.

Athletically there is so much to like about Golden's game. His first step is outstanding, and he combines that with top-notch acceleration. Golden's movement skills are elite. The Berkeley Prep standout shows easy change of direction ability and his balance is special. This is another trait that you can really see shine at running back, but it projects quite nicely to cornerback, which you can also see on film in the snaps where he is lined up outside. 

Golden plays all over for Berkeley Prep, thriving at safety, cornerback, running back and even some wide receiver. That's something that I love about him as a prospect, because he's really good at each of those positions. Where that can create some issues, at least when projecting him to one position, is it prevents him from playing with great technique anywhere. As a corner, Golden will need development from a footwork and technical standpoint. This is especially needed when he transitions in man or press coverage situations. It's something that a coach like Mike Mickens can improve in a hurry, but it's worth noting.

While that might sound like a critique it really isn't. Everything that was just discussed can be fixed and taught. What you can't teach is Golden's elite physical talent, football IQ and feel for the game. As he gets more experience playing just cornerback he'll have a chance to turn into the kind of ball hawking cover man that Benjamin Morrison has been for the Irish. He makes quick decisions when playing off coverage thanks to his agility and ability to make quick reads. He plays the deep ball well on defense and tracks it quite well as a wide receiver. That should help him playing the ball as an outside player. 

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