Is Al Golden going to Bengals for DC job? Latest reports around Notre Dame coach
Could Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden be leaving the program and become the new Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator? According to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garofolo on Monday, he has emerged as one of the leading candidates to replace Lou Anarumo, who was let go after the season.
The two noted that Bengals coach Zac Taylor was waiting until the end of the CFP title game to get in touch with Golden. Golden's Fighting Irish fell 34-23 to Ohio State.
Per Sports Illustrated's BengalsTalk.com, the Notre Dame coach is the frontrunner for the job, while Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is also under consideration.
Al Golden turned the Fighting Irish defense into one of the top units in the nation. They were second in points allowed (14.3) and seventh in total defense (298.7 yards-per-game). They also held the Indiana to a field goal for the first 58 minutes of the CFP first round, while limiting Georgia to 10 points in the Sugar Bowl.
Cincinnati allowed 348.3 yards and 25.5 points per game, ranking 25th in both categories, as the Bengals missed the playoffs for the second straight year despite having an MVP-caliber season from Joe Burrow.
While Anarumo was highly regarded and even received some interest as a head coach in past seasons, the unit’s performance ended up costing him his job. The Bengals have some talent on defense, including NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson, but the secondary needs a makeover and the linebackers looked slow at times.
Al Golden has ties to the Bengals organization, as he worked there as a linebackers coach in 2020 and 2021.
Tough end to the season for Al Golden and the Fighting Irish defense
Notre Dame’s defense was vital into getting the Fighting Irish to their first national championship game since 2013. In the title game, however, they couldn’t keep up with the potent Ohio State attack, allowing 34 points and 445 of total offense.
The Irish defense was particularly brutal on third down, allowing the Buckeyes to convert on nine of 12 opportunities, many of them on long-yardage situations. They also allowed 214 rushing yards on Monday.
One aspect that was troublesome for Al Golden's unit was guarding the Ohio State receivers one-on-one. While the team preferred man coverage for most of the season, the Buckeyes' depth and ability at the wide receiver position put the Irish secondary in a tough spot.
Coming into Monday, the Irish allowed more than 20 points three times in the season, and only the USC Trojans were able to put up more than 30. While Notre Dame’s defense had a very successful season the ending wasn’t quite what they expected.