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Notre Dame DC Al Golden a top target for NFL vacancy, per report
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Notre Dame came up just short on Monday night, falling to Ohio State 34-23 in the national championship game. Even with the defeat, 2024 felt like a breakthrough moment for Marcus Freeman’s program, but he could be losing a key assistant this offseason.
According to NFL insiders Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, defensive coordinator Al Golden is a key target for a post in the NFL. The joint report cited Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor as targeting Golden to fill the vacant DC post with the Bengals.
The two have previous experience together. Golden previously served on Taylor’s Cincinnati staff as a linebackers coach from 2020-21, prior to joining the Fighting Irish as Freeman’s first DC.
While Notre Dame could not take down Ohio State to secure the title, the defense was a major piece to the puzzle for the Irish all season long. The program averaged 15.5 points allowed per game, a mark that tied for 4th nationally.
Notre Dame has boasted a top-10 scoring defense each of the past 2 seasons under Golden while going 24-5 in that time frame. Losing Golden to the NFL would be a big loss for the Fighting Irish as the program tries to reload and regroup for 2025.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.