Notre Dame football: Al Golden inheriting an elite defensive unit
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team could be one of the best defensive teams in the country this season, which is good news for their new DC, Al Golden.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Cincinnati Bengals linebacker coach Al Golden would be heading to South Bend to be the team’s new defensive coordinator. For the program, this is the third defensive coordinator in as many years, as Clark Lea left to be the head coach of Vanderbilt after the 2020 season, and Marcus Freeman was promoted to Notre Dame head coach before the team’s bowl game against Oklahoma State.
For the Irish, Golden is an excellent hire, as he was tops on Freeman’s list, and he once again got his many. Overall, Freeman has built up an elite staff of assistant coaches, and for Golden, he is inheriting an elite defensive unit for the Irish.
A former tight end at Penn State, Golden is no stranger to the college game, as he served as head coach at both Temple, and Miami (FL). He has had a ton of success coaching up defenses, and this could be the best collection of talent he has ever had at the collegiate level.
Notre Dame football loaded on all three levels
There were a handful of players that were eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft that decided to come back to South Bend for another year, and many of them are on the defensive side of the ball. Vyper Isaiah Foskey is one of the best pass rushers in the country, and cornerback Cam Hart could end up being a first-round pick when all is said and done.
The linebacker unit is a veteran group who can flat out get to the football, and there is a ton of young talent behind him. Notre Dame football brought in the No. 7 recruiting class for the 2022 cycle, and they currently hold the No. 1 class for 2023, mostly led by some five-star talent on the defensive side of the ball.
Overall, Golden is getting a team that should be able to get after the quarterback consistently up front, able tacklers at linebacker, and a secondary that should grow into a shutdown unit. He has had success in the past, and is fresh off a trip to the Super Bowl with Cincinnati, landing in South Bend at the perfect time.