Former Notre Dame DC Al Golden gives deep insight into the state of the Fighting Irish program, and the difficulty he had leaving for the Bengals
It didn’t take many by surprise to see former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden leave for the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Coach Golden spent a couple of seasons as the linebackers coach with the organization before coming to South Bend, and still has a strong relationship with head coach Zac Taylor. Even before the […]
It didn’t take many by surprise to see former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden leave for the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Coach Golden spent a couple of seasons as the linebackers coach with the organization before coming to South Bend, and still has a strong relationship with head coach Zac Taylor.
Even before the national championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the rumors were out there. Most people knew what was coming shortly after, and unfortunately, Coach Golden’s tenure ended after just three seasons with the Irish program. It’s a bitter ending, but one most Notre Dame fans will remember fondly.
On Monday, Coach Golden has his introductory press conference with the Bengals. He had the chance to field questions about his excitement for this next opportunity, and get to understand a bit of his football beliefs. Golden was also asked about Notre Dame, the program’s future, and his difficulty leaving what head coach Marcus Freeman has built.
Here’s what Coach Golden had to say:
“Well, number one, I think they’re built to last for a really long time now. And I think the one thing when you get to be my age, not everything works the way you want it to work, but the one thing that I always want to do is leave something better than I found it. And I believe that my little part of that, I did, and we did, because it’s a collective thing. So it’s always hard to leave, because you invest so much in people. It’s not so much the brick and mortar, but it’s the people, so that part of it was challenging.
But I think even the young kids understood the value of this. And there’s only 32 of these [jobs], you know, and there’s even less that have Joe Burrow, and I think that that to me, coupled with having worked here before, being being around the Brown family, being around coach [Taylor] before, and obviously having a great feel for this community in this town made it easier.”
It’s a shame that Coach Golden won’t be a part of the future successes for the Notre Dame program, but he’s right, it’s very bright. He helped to build one of the best defenses in college football, a huge reason the team was able to win 14 games and earn a berth in the national championship game. Whoever walks into that defensive coordinator position, the cupboard will be stocked very well.
Let’s just hope that Notre Dame is able to capture their first national championship in over 35 years soon. That way Coach Golden’s fingerprints can still be firmly on it. He helped to lay the groundwork, and now the program is set up for long-term stability.
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