Al Golden’s long road to redemption at Notre Dame

NOTRE DAME DEFENSIVE coordinator Al Golden is not one to talk about his past, certainly not his past at Miami, where he held his last head coaching job nine years ago.

Those days are so long ago, he says, and he is in such a different place now. But here is the thing: There would be no Al Golden at Notre Dame without Al Golden at Miami.

Golden had to leave college ball to find himself. He went to the NFL because he needed to try something different. And it rejuvenated him — to the point that he wanted to give college the ol’ college try again.

Now in his third year, 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.

Headed into its first-round playoff game against Indiana on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN), the Notre Dame defense ranks first in team passing efficiency defense, tied for first in turnovers gained (28), first in defensive touchdowns (6), third in scoring defense (13.6), third in passing yards allowed (157.9), fourth in interceptions (17), tied for seventh in fumbles recovered (11) and ninth in total defense (296.8).

The Irish have held 10 of their 12 opponents to 16 or fewer points — their best showing since the 2012 season. As a result, a coach who had to rediscover his love for the game after the lowest moment of his career has been named a finalist for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant in the country.

Golden would rather talk about his players, the opportunity in front of the Irish and the job coach Marcus Freeman has done more than anything else. Each time a question is posed about the experiences that led him here, Golden stops and says, “You’re making it about me again.”

But those around him know that Notre Dame wouldn’t be in this spot without him. Whether he likes it or not, this season has been a little bit about Al Golden.

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GOLDEN WAS AT home on Dec. 4, 2015, watching “Thursday Night Football” between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Six weeks earlier, he had been fired as Miami head coach, following the worst home loss in school history, a 58-0 drubbing by Clemson. Golden had no plans, other than to spend time with his family.

So he watched, in disbelief, as Aaron Rodgers threw a 61-yard Hail Mary to Richard Rodgers to give the Packers a come-from-behind 27-23 win. Three days later, Golden got a phone call from Lions head coach Jim Caldwell with a simple request: Come work for me. Now.

Caldwell was quarterbacks coach at Penn State when Golden played tight end for the Nittany Lions from 1988-91, so their connection went way back. But Golden asked for more time. “Circle back at the end of the season,” Golden told him.

Caldwell did, convinced Golden would like coaching in the NFL. He was right.

Golden spent four seasons with the Lions, first as tight ends coach under Caldwell from 2016-17, then as linebackers coach from 2018-19 after Matt Patricia replaced Caldwell as head coach.

“I just wanted a different challenge,” Golden said.

To that point, Golden had spent his entire career in the college game, working as a position coach, then a defensive coordinator. He got his first head coaching job at Temple in 2006. He worked a miracle there, turning around one of the worst programs in America and taking it to 17 wins in his final two seasons and their first bowl appearance in 30 years in 2009.

Considered a rising star in the profession, Miami hired him in 2011, eager to return to its past glory, believing his no-nonsense attitude would help get the job done.

Even in the South Florida heat and humidity, Golden wore a button-down dress shirt and orange tie, an homage to his college coach, Joe Paterno — becoming one of the last coaches in America to dress in business attire on the sideline.

But as great as his plans to restore Miami might have been, Golden could never quite get the Hurricanes over the top, nor could he meet the demands of a fan base that expects championships every season. He never beat rival Florida State during his time there, nor did he win 10 games in a season. After ending 2014 with four straight losses to finish 6-7, fan discontent grew.

Miami fans sent airplanes over the stadium with banners proclaiming, “Fire Al Golden” at nearly every home game toward the end of his tenure. The situation became untenable.

Following the 58-0 loss to Clemson, Golden was fired. The entire experience drained him, making him question what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be. Every step he had taken to this point had been carefully ordered, climbing rungs one at a time to reach the ultimate goal: head coach. At one point, some even thought him a possible candidate at Penn State.

Miami was the first time in his career he had ever been fired.

Enter his quest for something a little different.

“You get to a point when you experience that as a head coach, and it doesn’t go the way you want, you pour your heart and soul into it … I bet if you ask the guys that I work with right now, could you ever imagine that guy being burnt out? I bet you they would be like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ The guy works like an animal,” Golden says during a fleeting moment of introspection.

“But you get tired of it. I just needed a change.”

So he got the change he wanted moving to Detroit. He found his joy, spent more time with his family and, he says, “fell in love with coaching again.”

He moved on to the Bengals in 2020 as linebackers coach, believing he could make a difference with a franchise eager to grow and turn a corner, especially after drafting Joe Burrow to lead them in the 2020 draft. In 2021, the Bengals made a run to the Super Bowl and Golden was having the time of his life.

But as the Bengals were making their late season run, Freeman had been promoted from defensive coordinator to Notre Dame head coach. He needed a defensive coordinator who could pick up where his group left off and build it further, not tear it down and start from scratch.

He had friends on the Bengals staff who told him Golden was an integral part of their defensive growth, and suggested they talk.

“We had a brief conversation, and I was intrigued,” Freeman said. “After three or four conversations, I was convinced that he was a guy that I wanted to lead our defense.”

Golden finally got his chance to visit South Bend between the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl. That cemented it for Golden and Freeman.

“It started with the philosophy and the fundamentals and the values that we both have, and what successful defense is,” Freeman said. “It’s not this one blitz or this one coverage, it’s a philosophy of doing the little things right.”

“To be with the Bengals at that time and be a part of that was just really something special,” Golden said. “But when Notre Dame calls, you have to listen. So here we are.”

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EVERY DAY BEFORE practice, Notre Dame works on ball disruption drills, from punching the ball out to stripping the football and other techniques.

Then at the end of each week, they meet again to discuss … ball disruption. Indeed, during his job interview with Freeman, Golden shared how he taught ball disruption in the NFL, in addition to tackling and situational football.

“He places a premium on that,” safety Jordan Clark said. “That’s how you impact the game. That’s why you see the results that we’ve had this year.”

Notre Dame has improved in this category since Golden arrived. In 2022, the Irish forced 15; last year, 24; this year, 28.

Another reason for the results is that Golden, 55, has been able to add more to his scheme, the more his players have a firmer understanding and grasp of what to do. He also has empowered his players to find solutions when mistakes or problems crop up.

“His defense and installs are definitely hefty, but I love it, because that’s exactly what you’re going to get in the NFL,” defensive tackle Rylie Mills said. “The more you can prep for it now, then when you get there, it is going to be so much easier. He throws everything he’s got at us, and it’s helped us reach another level.”

The defense this year brought back a veteran group eager to learn more: from Mills to safety Xavier Watts to Howard Cross III to Jack Kiser. But the unit has had to deal with its fair share of injuries too, losing starting cornerback Benjamin Morrison for the season and two linebackers in Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore, in addition to key reserves in the secondary. Eight different players have made their first career starts in 2024. Cross has missed the past month with a sprained ankle but is expected to play against Indiana.

The injuries have meant young players such as Leonard Moore, Adon Shuler and Bryce Young have had to step up and play more. Yet the defensive effort has not fallen off.

“Somewhere on this journey, we went from an experienced group to a group that has really brought on a lot of young people that have stepped up for us,” Golden said.

Even new players, who have just been integrated this offseason, feel that. Clark chose to transfer to Notre Dame from Arizona State, in part to learn from Golden.

“You know that what you’re learning here is going to be the same things that you would do at the next level because you’re playing in an NFL system,” Clark says. “His insight, his teaching, is invaluable. Being able to garner that knowledge from him, although incredibly difficult and frustrating at first, makes all the difference. I think that is a big part of why we’re still playing this far into the season.”

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GOLDEN HAS GIVEN up the shirt and tie for half zips and sweatshirts. His comfort on the sideline is obvious. He came back to college at a time when there was a dramatic shift toward a more pro-style model with NIL and the transfer portal — changes that have driven many college coaches either to the NFL or out of coaching.

Golden had no qualms about any of that when he arrived in 2022, wanting most of all to help impact young players the way he did earlier in his career — and assist Freeman as he became a head coach for the first time. At times, Freeman will rely on Golden for advice based on his own experiences — including navigating an expanded playoff, which Golden took part in during his time in the NFL.

There are even parallels between the pressure Golden faced to bring a national championship back to Miami, and the pressure Freeman faces to do the same with the Irish — who last won a national title in 1988.

As for his own long-term future, and whether he wants one more shot to prove himself as a head coach, Golden says, “I’m having too much fun just being in the moment.

“I just want to do the best job I can, and if that leads to opportunities in the future, that leads to opportunities in the future,” Golden said. “But I’m not seeking anything. I’ve always believed you try to improve where you are and leave it in a better place, and the rest of it takes care of itself. So that’s my focus, and that’s how I come to work every day, just loving the challenge that is being here at Notre Dame.”