On Wednesday, the Fighting Irish announced Golden's replacement. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Notre Dame agreed to hire Chris Ash as its newest defensive coordinator.

Notre Dame has lost a key part of its national championship run with defensive coordinator Al Golden leaving to take the same role for the Cincinnati Bengals ... he turned the Irish defense ...

It didn’t take many by surprise to see former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden leave for the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Coach Golden spent a couple of seasons as the linebackers coach with the organization before coming to South Bend,

Days after Al Golden left to become the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, the Fighting Irish have hired former Rutgers coach Chris Ash to be their new defensive coordinator, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Ash has been in the NFL since the start of the 2021 season and worked as a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden is expected to join the Bengals in the same role, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Wednesday. The news comes days after the Fighting Irish lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game, the school's first title shot of the century.

YouTube live show, Blue & Gold’s Tim Hyde and Mike Singer discuss and react to the latest news and notes in the world of Notre Dame football and recruiting. It’s been a busy week of news, with it being all but official that former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash will become the Fighting Irish’s new defensive coordinator.

ATLANTA -- Al Golden orchestrated a Notre Dame defense that ranked top 10 nationally across myriad categories and spurred the Fighting Irish's run to Monday night's College Football Playoff Championship.

“Sources: Chris Ash has accepted the job as the Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator,” Pete Thamel said in a post. “Ash brings a blend of coordinating experience, NFL experience and high-end results as a collegiate coordinator. A deal is expected to be finalized in the near future.”

The Cincinnati Bengals continued their busy offseason with the introduction of newly-hired defensive coordinator, Al Golden, formerly of Notre Dame.

Al Golden's tenure at Notre Dame was marked by success and significant contributions to the team's defense. As the defensive coordinator, Golden led the Fighting Irish to one of the nation's top defenses, achieving impressive rankings in several categories.

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.