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

As Notre Dame searches for a new defensive coordinator, one former NFL safety believes the right choice is already in place.

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.

The Cincinnati Bengals appear to have the man they'll entrust with fixing their broken defense.

Al Golden may very well be the cure to what has been ailing the Cincinnati Bengals defensively. In the wake of him leaving Zac Taylor's staff to become Marcus F

Notre Dame football is moving ahead with its 2025 plans, focusing on recruiting, scheduling, and roster development for the upcoming season.

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

It was clear from the begining that Taylor wanted to hire Golden for the position. Bengals NFL awards Joe Burrow Joe Burrow named one of five finalists for NFL MVP awardStart the day smarter.

The Cincinnati Bengals announced the hiring of Al Golden as their new defensive coordinator on Thursday. Golden, 55, spent the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. That stint followed two years as the Bengals' linebackers coach from 2020-21.

A native of Colts Neck, N.J., Golden played tight end at Penn State from 1988-91, then spent the 1992 season with the New England Patriots (no games played). He earned a bachelor’s degree in pre-law from Penn State in 1991, and a master’s degree in sports psychology from Virginia in 1996.

The Cincinnati Bengals hired Notre Dame's Al Golden as their new defensive coordinator, the team announced Thursday.