Elijah Golden trolls Sooners with hat fake before Notre Dame pick

Defensive lineman recruit Elijah Golden did the Oklahoma Sooners dirty twice within seconds.

Golden on Saturday announced his commitment to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which had been expected for weeks before. Golden had previously narrowed his choices down to Notre Dame, OU, Alabama and Virginia Tech.

During the livestream of his announcement, though, Golden initially stood up and put a crimson OU hat on his head. He said, "Okla--..." before another hat came flying across the room, which he didn't catch to squander the smooth fake-out. Golden eventually tossed the OU hat before picking up the Notre Dame hat and putting it on to announce his real commitment.

Elijah Golden commits to Notre Dame over Oklahoma

Golden, listed at 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, is a consensus four-star recruit in the 2026 class out of Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota, Florida. According to the 247Sports Composite, Golden is the No. 23 defensive line prospect and No. 167 overall player in the class.

The Sooners already have one defensive lineman committed from the 2026 class in Brian Harris, but Harris is ranked much lower than Golden. Harris is the No. 64 DL recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite, which is 41 spots lower than Golden. Harris is also the No. 531 overall player as a three-star recruit.

OU has also landed a pair of edge rushers in Daniel Norman and Matthew Nelson to bolster the future of the defensive line. Defensive end Jake Kreul also has OU included in his final three options, along with Texas and Ole Miss.

Read more about OU football recruiting