The Cincinnati Bengals‘ defensive coordinator post is no longer vacant.
Word broke Wednesday that the Bengals would announce the hire of Al Golden as defensive coordinator.
Golden’s hire follows the Monday announcement of additional coaching hires on the offensive side of the ball ahead of a critical offseason for the Bengals. After back-to-back 9-8 seasons with no playoff berths, the pressure is on the Bengals’ Zac Taylor to win now.
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’s coaching history: A Nittany Lion product
In his coaching career, Golden is well-traveled and experienced. His first influence in the college game was Joe Paterno as Golden played his college football at Penn State as a tight end. Golden picked up plenty during his time in State College, Pa., including Paterno’s signature style, a white shirt and tie, and khakis with sneakers. Golden made that his own signature style while roaming the sidelines as the head coach at Temple University (2006-10) and University of Miami (2011-15).
Golden turned the Temple Owls program around and was later inducted into the university’s athletic department’s hall of fame. He then jumped to Miami, where he guided the Hurricanes to an ACC championship game.
Golden has served as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame since 2022. He is a candidate for the Broyles Award, which honors the top college assistant coach in the country (the winner of that Broyles Award will be announced Feb. 13).
His 2015 season at Miami marked the last time Golden held a head-coaching post.
Golden’s latest work: CFP National Championship Game appearance vs. Ohio State
The most recent chapter for Golden was a memorable 2024 season at Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish were ranked the No. 9 total defense in the country this past season under Golden, which included being the No. 2 passing defense, the No. 2 scoring defense and the No. 8 red zone defense.
Notre Dame advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game after wins against Indiana, Georgia and Penn State in the first edition of the 12-team playoff, and he’ll be remembered for helping stock the school’s trophy case. Monday’s title game loss to Ohio State saw his defense labor for long stretches. Uncharacteristically, ND couldn’t get off the field on third down until midway through the fourth quarter. That performance in Monday’s loss followed a season in which ND was tied for the No. 4 third-down defense in the county. The loss to the Buckeyes doesn’t take away from the dominance Golden’s unit displayed during its 13-game winning streak en route to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the college game’s grand finale.
Golden coached for one of the greatest Bengals teams of all time
Golden is no stranger to Paycor Stadium. In fact, he was a contributor to the Bengals’ run to the Super Bowl LVI as the team’s linebacker coach. He held that post during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and the linebackers were a key component of Anarumo’s defense when the Bengals won the AFC championship in 2021.
Part of the lure of Golden to the Bengals is the fact that he’s been in the building before, which offers a measure of continuity. How much familiarity he has with Cincinnati’s personnel remains to be seen with offseason roster decisions looming, but it’s likely there’s some familiarity with current players.
How the NFL influenced Golden’s success of recent years
In a pre-CFP article by ESPN.com’s Andrea Adelson, Golden’s 2024 Fighting Irish defense was described this way: “Golden has built a physical, aggressive, opportunistic Notre Dame defense based on NFL principles he picked up during assistant coaching stops with the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals. His schemes are complicated, but rely on sound technique, fundamentals and communication — 11 players in sync, understanding what each must do to get the job done.”
Al Golden’s personal life
Golden is a man of simple pleasures and enjoys summering at the Jersey Shore, he said during media availability prior to the National Championship Game. That’s probably to be expected for someone like Golden, who is from Colts Neck, New Jersey.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 5 things to know about new Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden
