Notre Dame is set to hire Chris Ash as its defensive coordinator, CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reports. The former Rutgers coach replaces Al Golden, who departed his post to take the s

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.

Al Golden agreed to return to Cincinnati on Wednesday after three seasons as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced.

Al Golden’s return to the Cincinnati Bengals was made official Thursday, with the franchise announcing he was hired as defensive coordinator.

Notre Dame football is looking at Chris Ash to fill its defensive coordinator vacancy after losing Al Golden to the Bengals.

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.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden already took a job with the Cincinnati Bengals, but he still offered plenty of praise for his old team as the Fighting Irish continue without him

But Moon quickly became a key cog in the Fighting Irish's Al Golden-led defense, proving his coaching versatility by roles that assisted with the coaching of Notre Dame's defensiv

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish made a splashy hire to replace Al Golden as their next offensive coordinator by bringing in Chris Ash. The former head coach at Rutgers has been everywhere, man, including a notable run with Ohio State previously.