"Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has emerged as a top candidate to be the Bengals new DC, per me and Mike Garafolo," Rapoport wrote. "Coach Zac Taylor has been waiting for the National Championship to end before moving forward. Now that it has, he can speak with Golden & work thru it."

Al Golden agreed to return to Cincinnati on Wednesday after three seasons as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced. More: 3 Wolverines, 3 ex-Spartans make ESPN list of top 100 college football players from '24-25

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.

Wednesday afternoon, the Cincinnati Bengals hired former Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden to the same role. Golden returns to Cincinnati, where he was the linebackers coach in 2021.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden is reportedly leaving Notre Dame after three seasons. According to numerous reports on Wednesday, Golden is expected to return to the Cincinnati Bengals as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Following the now-concluded regime of former Bengals coordinator Lou Anarumo, Golden returns to Cincinnati a rejuvenated coach following a highly successful period as defensive coordinator of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Here are five things to know about Golden, his past influences and his latest work in the game.

Al Golden is set to join the Bengals as their next defensive coordinator, after leading Notre Dame to the CFP national title game.

The next three sites for the national title game will be at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans (Jan. 24, 2028), AT&T Stadium in Dallas (Jan. 22, 2029) and back to Hard Rock Stadium (Jan. 21, 2030) in Miami. New Orleans will host the CFP title game for the second time after LSU completed a perfect season with a win over Clemson in 2020.

Anyway, Golden has been the DC at Notre Dame since 2022, and had signed a contract extension before the 2024 season. The Irish produced some pretty good defenses under Golden, including this season, when they allowed the fourth-fewest points per game (15.5) in all college football.

For the first time in the history of college football, a team with two regular season losses that finished the year without a conference title and ranked outsid

The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly found their next defensive coordinator – and he has prior experience under head coach Zac Taylor.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden could be on the move after the loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game Monday night. Golden is considered a "top candidate" for the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive coordinator position,