Notre Dame announces Al Golden hired as defensive coordinator
The final piece to the 2022 Notre Dame football coaching staff is officially on board.
Notre Dame formally announced the hire of Al Golden as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Wednesday morning, one day after he accepted the job and three days after coaching in the Super Bowl with the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Al’s defensive background and knowledge of this profession makes him a valuable asset to our program,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said in a statement. “He is known for getting the absolute best out of his players both on and off the field. Additionally, he will be a great resource for me and others on our staff with his previous experience as a head coach. I am thrilled that he has joined our staff at Notre Dame.”
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Golden, 52, was the Bengals’ linebackers coach the last two seasons. He spent 2016-19 on the Detroit Lions’ staff as the tight ends coach and linebackers coach, serving two years in each capacity. He’s known best for his college head-coaching stints at Miami (2011-15) and Temple (2006-10). He went 32-25 with the Hurricanes, with his best season (9-4) in 2013. He was fired on Oct. 26, 2015 following a 58-0 loss to Clemson and 4-3 start to the season.
At Temple, Golden went 17-8 in his final two seasons, with a 12-4 record in Mid-American Conference games. The Owls tied for first in the East Division in 2009.
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Golden’s last stint as a defensive coordinator was at Virginia from 2001-05. He was the youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS at the time of his hiring. Prior to that, he was Penn State’s linebackers coach in 2000 and held the same role at Boston College from 1997-99. He spent three years (1994-96) as a grad assistant at Virginia and began his coaching career at his alma mater, Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic High School, as the offensive coordinator in 1993.
With the announcement of Golden, all seven of Freeman’s staff hires this offseason are official. They will speak to reporters for the first time Wednesday afternoon.
Notre Dame offseason assistant coach hires
• Defensive coordinator Al Golden (was Cincinnati Bengals’ linebackers coach)
• Running backs coach Deland McCullough (was Indiana’s running backs coach)
• Wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey (was Baylor’s receivers coach)
• Tight ends coach Gerad Parker (was West Virginia’s co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach)
• Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand (was most recently Chicago Bears’ offensive line coach from 2018-19, was Notre Dame’s offensive line coach from 2012-17)
• Defensive line coach Al Washington (was most recently Ohio State’s linebackers coach from 2019-21)
• Special teams coordinator Brian Mason (was Cincinnati’s special teams coordinator)
