Dallas Golden's Notre Dame Journey From Tampa to South Bend

Notre Dame freshman defensive back and Tampa native Dallas Golden returns to the Chop Shop Show to share how faith, family, and discipline turned a quiet Florida kid into a rising national name in college football, as hosts Daryl "EZDZ" Newton and Waldo "Dade City" Woodard walk through his journey from Berkeley Prep state champion to day-one contributor in South Bend. Dallas and his father Pella revisit the exact moment Dad realized his son had something "different," after a hamstring injury forced Dallas to sit out months in eighth grade and come back sharper, faster, and more precise than ever. The conversation tracks his recruiting road trips through FSU, Georgia, Clemson, UF, Miami, Texas A&M and more, and why the relationships, family atmosphere, and faith-driven "four for 40" vision made Notre Dame the right choice for a Florida athlete who knew he was signing up for snow, structure, and expectations instead of palm trees and beaches. Dallas opens up on the surreal feeling of leaving Tampa "for good," getting homesick during those empty summer weeks on campus, and how daily calls back home, tough love, and his mom's tears on the drive out of South Bend all shaped his growth into a more mature student athlete. On the field, he breaks down the emotions of running out of the tunnel for a national TV opener versus Miami, living through "Catholics vs. Convicts" energy in real time, and walking through his first career interception against Purdue in vivid detail—from reading the quarterback's eyes in cover-4 to diving for the pick and losing himself in the celebration with teammates and the student section. Off the field, he shares what it really takes to balance a demanding schedule as a Film, TV, and Theatre major with meetings, lifts, film, and travel, why unstructured free time disappears in college, and how journaling on his laptop helped him process loneliness and pressure. Pella gives an honest parent's view on sacrifice: long hours at work, money poured into training, his wife as the "glue" who trusted the process, and the payoff of seeing their son's education and scholarship at a place like Notre Dame match the work he put in on Friday nights at Berkeley. The hosts zoom out to celebrate present Black fathers, Tampa's underrated pipeline of blue-chip talent to Notre Dame, LSU, and Florida, and the crucial role academics and foundation play in separating kids who "had it" in high school from those who actually make it to big-time college football. Listeners also get to know Dallas beyond the helmet—his love for NIL collaborations with Tampa's Reverse Brand to design custom "South Bend Golden" hats, his obsession with dessert spots from Dairy Joy to Chill Bros, lazy Sundays filled with massages at the facility and NCAA video games as a created player, and his early thoughts on the expanded playoff picture, upcoming matchups against Wisconsin at Lambeau, Miami, BYU, and North Carolina, and what it will take for Notre Dame to stay in the national title hunt. This episode is equal parts recruiting game, parenting blueprint, faith testimony, and Tampa-to-South Bend culture shock, offering players, parents, and fans a real look at what "four for 40" actually means when a local kid chooses a global brand.guest_-dallas-golden-student-athlete-notre-dame-Jan-05-2026-restream.txt​ Segment timestamps 00:00–04:30 – New Year intro, Dallas and Pella reintroduced, Berkeley Prep state title memoriesguest_-dallas-golden-student-athlete-notre-dame-Jan-05-2026-restream.txt​ 04:31–09:30 – Recruiting visits (FSU, Georgia, Clemson, UF, Miami, Texas A&M) and why Notre Dame felt like familyguest_-dallas-golden-student-athlete-notre-dame-Jan-05-2026-restream.txt​ 09:31–15:30 – Leaving home, homesickness, summer in an empty South Bend, mom's tears on the drive outguest_-dallas-golden-student-athlete-notre-dame-Jan-05-2026-restream.txt​ 15:31–22:30 – First game vs Miami, Catholics vs Convicts energy, Dad's emotional tunnel moment, first INT vs Purdueguest_-dallas-golden-student-athlete-notre-dame-Jan-05-2026-restream.txt​ 22:31–29:30 – Opting out of the bowl, coming home early, food differences (Tampa vs Midwest), surviving five-degree weather and snow gamesguest_-dallas-golden-student-athlete-notre-dame-Jan-05-2026-restream.txt​ 29:31–36:30 – Notre Dame schedule, uniform combos, NIL hat collab with Reverse Brand, gear and style talkguest_-dallas-golden-student-athlete-notre-dame-Jan-05-2026-restream.txt​ 36:31–43:30 – Tampa pipeline (Notre Dame, LSU, Florida), big-time programs, academics and foundation, celebrating engaged Black fathersguest_-dallas-golden-student-athlete-notre-dame-Jan-05-2026-restream.txt​ 43:31–49:30 – Dallas' journaling habit, potential book, dessert king reputation, favorite Tampa dessert and ice cream spotsguest_-dallas-golden-student-athlete-notre-dame-Jan-05-2026-restream.txt​ 49:31–End – Typical Sunday reset, video ...