DT Elijah Golden (6-3, 260) of Sarasota, FL was among the top prospects to attend the Elite Retreat at Clemson in early March. It wa his first opportunity to get to know head coach Dabo Swinney and defensive tackles coach Nick Eason in a personal setting.
Following the trip, Golden confessed that the staff, especially Eason, has been in contact with him for several months. That included a plan to visit Golden at his school, but the young prospect was under the weather; hence, the proper meeting was to come in March.
For Golden, this trip was his first time on campus, leaving quite an impression on the Florida native.
“It was pretty awesome,” Golden said. “It’s very big, pretty spacious. I love the field. The field is amazing. The campus is very beautiful.”
Not only did he get to check out campus, but he also got to observe spring practice, noting that the energy level was off the charts, which translates to the staff’s feelings of him as a player.
“It was pretty good,” he explained. “They’re pretty fired up about me, and I love that and their intensity, especially at practice. The energy at practice was second to none, so I definitely love that.”
The love was certainly mutual, as Clemson pulled the trigger on an offer shortly after, something that meant a lot to Golden, who remembers watching the Tigers play in the National Championship game.
“This is definitely the offer I’ve been wanting ever since I was young,” Golden said. “I always watched Clemson play against Alabama and Ohio State, growing up with Deshaun Watson. So that’s definitely one I’ve been wanting.”
For Golden, he hopes to lock in an official visit with Clemson in the near future to secure as much information about campus life and education on that type of trip. Right now, he hasn’t solidified a timeline for his commitment and is allowing things to naturally play out heading closer to his senior season.
Golden has offers from numerous schools, including USC, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. This spring he has also made stops at Virginia Tech and Alabama. He is scheduled to visit Notre Dame April 17th.