Dallas Golden's Breakout Bodes Well For Notre Dame's Secondary In 2026
Dallas Golden's explosive potential ignites Notre Dame's secondary. Can this dynamic freshman transition from rotation player to bona fide starter, elevating the entire defense?
The 2025 recruiting class looks to have a surge this offseason and solidify themselves in rotations and starting lineups across the board. Offensive tackle Will Black looks to seize hold of a starting position in the trenches. Defensively, rising sophomore Dallas Golden looks to solidify his position in the nickel rotation and will have an opportunity to start.
A breakout from Golden throughout this offseason will raise the overall ceiling of the secondary and give Notre Dame a truly dynamic rotation at nickel for the first time in Marcus Freeman's tenure. There's three different levels to a player breaking out. The first level of a breakout season is a player going from not playing a ton to being an integral part of the rotation.
The second level of a breakout is a player going from a key rotation guy to a starter. The final level of a breakout is going from a starter to a certified dude on their respective side of the ball. Golden was the highest ranked recruit in the 2025 recruiting cycle on the Irish Breakdown recruiting board.
He was graded as a 4. 5 star recruit with a 5. 0 star upside grade.
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