BREAKING | Al Golden Expected to be Named Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator
According to ISD sources, Al Golden is expected to become Notre Dame’s next defensive coordinator after a two-year stint with the Cincinnati Bengals as the linebackers coach for Zac Taylor.
Per a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Golden agreed to a three-year deal with Notre Dame.
Golden has spent the last 29 years as a coach, including the previous six years in the NFL.
Before joining Cincinnati in 2020, Golden coached tight ends for the Detroit Lions in 2016 and 2017 before moving over to the linebacker unit in 2018 and 2019.
Golden had been strictly a college coach prior to the Lions as he was the head coach at Temple from 2006-2010 and Miami from 2011-2015.
The Temple program was just 3-31 in the threes season before Golden's arrival and he quickly turned it around following a 1-11 campaign in 2006. In 2008, Temple went 7-4, which was the best record since 1990 and in 2009, Golden's Owls finished 9-3. Golden was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2009.
Golden left Temple for Miami in 2010, but never quite found success as the Canes suffered from NCAA violations that occurred before his arrival. Miami won the ACC Coastal Division in 2012 despite going 7-5.
The New Jersey native started his coaching career at Virginia in 1994 as a graduate assistant before moving to Boston College and his alma mater Penn State as a linebackers coach.
Al Groh hired Golden in 2001 as his defensive coordinator at Virginia, making him the youngest in his position in FBS. In Golden's first year, the Cavaliers finished 108th in total defense, but in his final year, Virginia finished 19th in total defense. Golden improved Virginia's scoring defense in the same period from 27.6 ppg (No. 74) to 17.7 ppg (No. 17).
Golden is a three-year letterman at Penn State, where he played tight end. In fact, Golden caught a late touchdown against Notre Dame in 1990 to help the Nittany Lions upset the top-ranked Irish. Golden spent one year in the NFL with New England in 1992 before becoming the offensive coordinator at Red Bank Catholic (N.J.) in 1993.
Al Golden File
1993: Red Bank Catholic HS (N.J.) Offensive Coordinator
1994-96: Virginia graduate assistant
1997-99: Boston College linebackers coach
2000: Penn State linebackers coach
2001-2005: Virginia defensive coordinator
2006-2010: Temple head coach
2011-2015: Miami head coach
2016-17: Detroit Lions tight ends coach
2018-19: Detroit Lions linebackers coach
2020-21: Cincinnati Bengals linebackers coach