Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish fell just short in 2024. They finished the regular season 11-1 and earned the seventh seed in the college football playoffs. The bracket fell favorably for the Fighting Irish and they made a run to the National Championship.
However, they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Ohio State Buckeyes. Notre Dame needed a near-perfect game to stop Ohio State on Monday. The Irish lost 34-23 and ended the season 14-2. Defensive coordinator Al Golden will not be returning to Notre Dame in 2024. Golden accepted the job to be the next defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Al Golden is re-joining Zac Taylor’s coaching staff in Cincinnati
The #Bengals are finalizing a deal with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, who is expected to be in Cincinnati on Thursday to officially sign on as DC, sources tell The Insiders.
Golden spent two seasons as Bengals LBs coach before joining the Irish. Now, a reunion. pic.twitter.com/9vE6SAof7U
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 22, 2025
In 2024, Al Golden’s defensive unit at Notre Dame was one of the best in the country. They were tied with Army, allowing (15.5) points per game. That was the fourth-best of all Division One teams. Additionally, Notre Dame’s (169.4) passing yards per game allowed during the regular season was the fourth-lowest in the country. Al Golden had the luxury of having star talent on all levels on his defense with the Fighting Irish.
He was the defensive coordinator in each of Marcus Freeman’s first three seasons at Notre Dame. Before he joined the Irish, Al Golden was with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 and 2021. He was the Bengals’ linebacker coach under head coach Zac Taylor. Golden was part of the coaching staff that went to the Super Bowl and lost to the Rams. After three seasons with Notre Dame, Golden is re-joining the Bengals. This time as their new defensive coordinator.
Al Golden is replacing Lou Anarumo who was DC for six seasons. He was fired after the 2024 season, the second straight year the Bengals missed the postseason. Anarumo had a mix of young talent and veteran players last season. Cincinnati had one of the worst overall defenses in the NFL. Despite winning their final five games in 2024, the Bengals still missed the playoffs. Zac Taylor needed to make a change this offseason and that came on defense. Now, Al Golden is back with Cincinnati to help try and fix a struggling defensive unit.
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