Notre Dame football: What does Al Golden bring to the table?

Notre Dame football announced that it would be hiring Bengals linebackers coach Al Golden to fill the defensive coordinator vacancy. Here’s what he brings to the table.

At the end of the 2021 college football season, former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly unexpectedly announced that he would be leaving the Fighting Irish to take the head coaching job at LSU. Though the exact reason Kelly left is still somewhat unknown, the Irish would act fast and promote former defensive coordinator, Marcus Freeman, to head coach.

The hiring of Freeman would leave the coordinator spot empty, prompting Notre Dame to start a coaching search. Following the Bengals’ 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, former Bengals linebackers coach Al Golden would swiftly announce that he would be taking over as defensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish in 2022.

Golden’s background

Al Golden is an excellent pick-up for the Irish and is a coach who has seen it all.

Golden lettered in three seasons during his playing career as a tight end for Penn State. Following his time as a collegiate tight end, Golden would then become the head coach at both Temple and Miami (FL), before then making the transition to the NFL.

After serving for four seasons as the tight ends coach for the Detroit Lions, Golden would once again move to a new team, this time in Cincinnati. He would spend two seasons learning in Cincinnati under Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor.

Golden’s only defensive coordinator experience came from 2001-2005 when he served as the defensive play-caller at the University of Virginia.

Al Golden joins the Irish

After two years with Cincinnati, Golden is once again moving to a new job. This time, Golden has found his way into the defensive coordinator position at one of Americas most prestigious academic and athletic universities: Notre Dame.

As a head coach, Golden helped turn around a struggling Temple program and led Miami to four-straight six-win seasons and a nine-win season in 2013. Overall, Golden would finish his college coaching career with a 59-59 record; at least for the time being.

Golden will bring solid recruiting connections to Notre Dame, especially in the state of Florida where he used to coach. This is a tremendous step for Notre Dame who just lost one of their top recruiters, Mike Elston, to the University of Michigan.

What to expect

No one is quite sure what to expect from Al Golden with the Irish just yet. We know that he brings a comprehensive background of coaching experience from both the collegiate and NFL levels and has served in a wide variety of roles as a football coach thus far. We do not know yet what schemes he will run in 2022 or if he will be a good fit at Notre Dame.

There is still a good chance that former defensive coordinator and current head coach Marcus Freeman will still control defensive play-calling duties; however, the role of Freeman in the defense is also still an unknown factor.

Under a first-year head coach with a first-year defensive coordinator, the Irish will face much adversity throughout the 2022 season and beyond. For the time being, Notre Dame fans must wait patiently and trust that the program is in good hands with Marcus Freeman.