The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost in the College Football National Championship game 34-23 to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday night, and they could have a coach to replace in the near future.
Not long after the game ended in Ohio State’s favor, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported that Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden is a “top candidate” for the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive coordinator job. Rapoport says Bengals coach Zac Taylor was waiting on Notre Dame’s season to end in order to talk with Golden about the position.
The way Rapoport reported the news sure made it seem like Golden to Cincinnati is going to happen.
Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has emerged as a top candidate to be the #Bengals new DC, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
Coach Zac Taylor has been waiting for the National Championship to end before moving forward. Now that it has, he can speak with Golden & work thru it. pic.twitter.com/1eELIXX3Sv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2025
If Golden ends up leaving Notre Dame for the Bengals job, he will be leaving on a bad note.
Notre Dame’s defense had been a stout unit for most of the season. But they allowed 445 yards to the Buckeyes, including 214 yards on the ground. They also had some embarrassing miscues in the game.
Golden has been with Notre Dame since 2022. He served as a linebackers coach for the Bengals in 2020 and 2021 under Taylor, which gives him plenty of familiarity with the situation in Cincinnati.
The 55-year-old Golden brings plenty of experience to any job. He was a college head coach from 2006-2015, serving as the coach at Temple and then Miami. He took the struggling Owls to a pair of bowl games. With the Hurricanes, he went 32-25.
