"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."

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.

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

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden responds to NFL rumors ahead of the CFP National Championship showdown against Ohio State. Could he be leaving South Bend for a return to the Bengals?

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden's defense entered the CFP national championship with the second-best scoring defense in the FBS, trailing only Ohio State.

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.

The Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator job has been open for more than two weeks now, but there hasn't been much movement on a possible hiring and now we know why: The team was waiting for Notre Dame to finish its season.

Notre Dame's Al Golden is expected to interview with Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor in the next 48 hours for the defensive coordinator job.

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

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

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden is expected to reunite with the Cincinnati Bengals and coach Zac Taylor.