CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals landed a successor for former defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and didn’t have to look far.
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.
Golden, 55, is a familiar face for Bengals coach Zac Taylor after he served as the linebackers coach in Cincinnati for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Golden left the Bengals to become Notre Dame DC after the team’s Super Bowl loss to the Los Angeles Rams in February 2022.
The Bengals are looking for a coach capable of getting more out of the eight top-100 picks on the defensive side of the ball that have disappointed in recent years. Cincinnati’s defense fell to 25th in points allowed per drive in 2023 and 26th in 2024. A coach with a background of success connecting at the college level adds to Golden’s appeal and he can undeniably make that claim.
Notre Dame ranked second in FBS in scoring defense this past season and seventh in 2023.
The Bengals went 9-8 and missed the playoffs by one game despite an MVP-level season from quarterback Joe Burrow, a triple crown season from wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a sacks title from Trey Hendrickson. The team went 3-4 when scoring at least 33 points. The rest of the NFL was 79-7.
Cincinnati was searching for a new defensive coordinator after firing Anarumo on Jan. 6. He worked as the Bengals’ defensive coordinator for all six years Taylor has been at the helm. Former Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was also a finalist for DC.
Golden first made a name for himself as the head coach of Temple University from 2006 to 2010. He took over a program that went 3-31 the three seasons before his arrival. In Golden’s final two years at Temple, the Owls finished 17-8. Golden turned his success there into becoming the head coach at the University of Miami and held the job for four seasons, going 32-25.
Golden shifted to the NFL for the first time in 2016, coaching tight ends and linebackers before landing with Taylor in Cincinnati in 2020.
How Golden became the fit in Cincinnati
Golden had more connections to Taylor and the Bengals than any candidate and it wasn’t close. Golden truly never left Cincinnati. When he coached linebackers in 2020-21 he bought a house on the same street as Taylor. They were neighbors, and his three children were in Cincinnati high schools. Golden took the job in South Bend after the Super Bowl, but he didn’t sell his house or move his family. He stayed neighbors and close friends with Taylor despite spending most of his time in-season at Notre Dame. Once he started excelling for the Irish and illustrating a unique ability to motivate and teach young players the match started to make as much sense for the Bengals as it did for Golden not having to drive to and from South Bend anymore.
Beyond that, knowledge of the unique structure of the Bengals’ organization is critical considering how involved the defensive coordinator will be in evaluating and drafting players. The Bengals ask their coaches to stay involved in the draft and free agency more than any team in the NFL. The family ownership creates another unique balance for all core members of the coaching staff. Plus, Taylor focuses mostly on the offensive side of the ball, leaving the defensive coordinator to essentially serve as head coach on the other side of the ball, largely with free reign. Golden arrives well aware of it all.
This also falls in line with a successful move made last year by one of Taylor’s closest coaching friends, Matt LaFleur. The Packers coach made a move at defensive coordinator and plucked Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley from the college ranks. The Packers jumped from 22nd in points allowed per drive in 2023 to sixth this past season.
With the Bengals expected to lean heavily into their youth movement on defense, the idea of a coach with a background in college had advantages against those with histories predominantly in the NFL. Even more so to add a fresh voice, but also one where both sides know exactly what they are getting into. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals beat writer
How Golden’s departure impacts Notre Dame
Golden’s departure for Cincinnati had been bubbling around Notre Dame for the past few weeks, even during the program’s run to the national championship. Even through three seasons in South Bend, Ind., Cincinnati was still considered Golden’s home base. And as much as Notre Dame has compensated Golden at the top of the college market, a chance to return to the NFL offers the next challenge in a career that’s ridden the wave from being an up-and-coming coach to off the grid to back to being one of the smartest minds in football.
Notre Dame’s defense has been outstanding under Golden, finishing No. 1 nationally in pass-efficiency defense each of the past two seasons. But this third year has been Golden’s master class, as he’s had to build the Irish’s defense on the fly while losing half his starting lineup for long stretches, including All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison and defensive tackle Rylie Mills. Golden has figured out how to not only get performances out of journeyman veterans (i.e. free agents) but also freshmen (i.e. rookies). On the surface, who’s in the lineup seems to matter less than the system the roster has been coaching up to play.
If the past three years were an audition to return to the NFL, this time as a defensive coordinator, it’s hard to imagine Golden knocking out his lines any better than this. Golden was Marcus Freeman’s first big hire after Freeman’s promotion as Notre Dame’s head coach three years ago. It’s easy to argue that Golden was also Freeman’s best decision.
Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens will get a look in following Golden, but there’s a good chance Freeman looks outside the staff at coordinator considering the prestige of the job. Notre Dame’s past four defensive coordinators have been Power 4 head coaches or, in Golden’s case, an NFL defensive coordinator. It makes the post a potential career launching pad for whoever fills it next. — Pete Sampson, Notre Dame beat writer
(Photo: Matt Cashore / Imagn Images)
