It didn’t take many by surprise to see former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden leave for the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Coach Golden spent a couple of seasons as the linebackers coach with the organization before coming to South Bend,

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden is expected to join the Bengals in the same role, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Wednesday. The news comes days after the Fighting Irish lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game, the school's first title shot of the century.

Cincinnati is finalizing a deal to hire Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden to run its defense. Golden helped lead the Fighting Irish to Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game where they lost to Ohio State. He is expected to officially sign with the team on Thursday.

After days of reports and speculation following Notre Dame’s national championship loss to Ohio State, the Cincinnati Bengals announced on Thursday afternoon that Golden has been hired as the team’s next defensive coordinator.

Al Golden said he wanted to leave a place better than when he found it, and he believes he did that at Notre Dame.

Golden's defense was one of the nation's best and ranked fifth nationally in scoring at a minuscule 15.5 points allowed per game. The veteran unit was the product of Golden's three years in the coordinator role and closed the 2024 season just shy of a national title.

ATLANTA -- Al Golden orchestrated a Notre Dame defense that ranked top 10 nationally across myriad categories and spurred the Fighting Irish's run to Monday night's College Football Playoff Championship.

The Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly looking to hire Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden for the same job.

The upcoming NCAAF season for Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be impacted by the latest player departure due to the Transfer Portal.

Al Golden's tenure at Notre Dame was marked by success and significant contributions to the team's defense. As the defensive coordinator, Golden led the Fighting Irish to one of the nation's top defenses, achieving impressive rankings in several categories.

"There's only 32 of these," Golden said when asked why he wanted to return to the Bengals after a successful stint in the college ranks, at Notre Dame. "There's even less that have Joe Burrow."