Report: Boston College passes on Notre Dame DL coach Al Washington for HC job
Notre Dame’s coaching staff remains intact, for now. Boston College is reportedly set to hire Ohio State offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien as its next head coach, passing on Irish defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator Al Washington.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report that the Eagles chose O’Brien over Washington, who played at Boston College from 2002-05 and was reportedly a finalist for the open head coaching position. According to Thamel, a deal between Boston College and O’Brien is expected soon.
FootballScoop’s John Brice reported Thursday that the Eagles would decide between Washington and O’Brien, who has previous head coaching experience with Penn State and the Houston Texans. The Boston College job opened up Jan. 31, when then-Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley left to become the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator.
The 39-year-old Washington, who has never been a head coach or a defensive coordinator, would have been the second full-time Notre Dame assistant coach to leave for a new job on his own accord. The first was offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Gerad Parker, who is now the head coach at Troy.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman only made one coaching change that was the team’s decision, dismissing wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey shortly after the regular season and replacing him with Wisconsin’s Mike Brown.
Washington spent two years at Notre Dame under Freeman, where he led a formidable front four. Notably, Washington helped develop defensive tackles Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills into two of the top returning interior defensive linemen in the nation, with Cross being named a second-team All-American by several outlets.
He also helped Javontae Jean-Baptiste, who played as a backup at Ohio State for four years, turn in his best season yet with the Irish. Jean-Baptiste was constantly disruptive as Notre Dame’s strong-side defensive end or “field end,” earning an invite to the Senior Bowl as an NFL Draft prospect.
Before Notre Dame, Washington coached at Ohio State in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, from 2019-21. He was on Jean-Baptiste’s coaching staff but he was not his position coach, instead coaching the Buckeyes’ linebackers. Washington also spent one year each at Michigan (linebackers) in 2018 and Cincinnati (defensive line) in 2017, where he first coached alongside Freeman.
Washington’s Boston College connection includes a five-year stint as an assistant in Chestnut Hill. Mass. He was the Eagles’ assistant special teams coordinator and defensive line coach in 2012, the running backs coach from 2013-15 and the defensive line coach again in 2016.
No school is completely out of the woods at this point in the offseason cycle, but after retaining Washington (for now), there are no immediately apparent threats to Notre Dame’s coaching staff continuity.
Other standout Irish assistants who could realistically garner interest from other schools or the NFL include defensive coordinator Al Golden, cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens and running backs coach Deland McCullough.
