Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator Al Golden Reacts to Receiving Interest From Bengals Ahead of National Championship

CINCINNATI — Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has emerged as the favorite for the Bengals defensive coordinator job.

Golden and the Fighting Irish are preparing to go up against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Monday night's National Championship Game.

The veteran coach was asked about receiving interest from the NFL and his mindset throughout the process.

"It's humbling that your name is mentioned because of team success or the success of our defense," Golden said. "This is not the time or place. This is about the kids ... The biggest thing for us right now is understanding the enormity of this game."

Golden also praised Zac Taylor and said he learned a lot from the Bengals head coach. Golden was the Bengals linebackers coach in 2020 and 2021. He could return to Cincinnati in a few days.

In the meantime, he'll coach for a championship on Monday night.

"That's our focus," Golden said. "All of that other stuff, we'll deal with in the future."

Watch the full clip of Golden couresy of Jeremy Rauch of FOX19 below:

"It's humbling that your name is mentioned."

Full answer from Al Golden on getting NFL interest.

"But, this is not the time or place. It's about the kids."#Bengals @fox19 pic.twitter.com/SS5jf1LVWF
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) January 18, 2025

Al Golden said he’s used a lot of his experiences from the Bengals playoff run to help coach his players through the new playoff format grind in college football. https://t.co/bUrVbCBSHK
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) January 18, 2025

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