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Former Urban Meyer Assistant Linked to Notre Dame DC Role

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated Jan 27, 2025 3:50 PM ET

Notre Dame is searching for a replacement for acclaimed defensive coordinator Al Golden after falling just short of a national championship, and a potential candidate with Urban Meyer ties has emerged.

The Fighting Irish were suffocating defensively under the direction of Golden and head coach Marcus Freeman, finishing fourth nationally in scoring defense and 11th in total defense during their 14-2 run that ended with a 34-23 loss in the College Football Playoff national title game to Ohio State in the title game.

Golden, who took the role in 2022 after serving as linebackers coach with the Cincinnati Bengals, is headed back to the NFL with the Bengals as defensive coordinator.

Notre Dame's success under Freeman makes the opening a coveted one. And while it appears that there isn't a frontrunner at this time, The Athletic's Pete Sampson reported that former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash has "emerged as a strong candidate" for the role.

Ash, 51, won a national championship at Ohio State as co-defensive coordinator for the Buckeyes under Meyer in 2014.

The Drake graduate got his start with his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 1997. He rose up the coaching ranks as a defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Iowa State and San Diego State before stepping into his first defensive coordinator role at Wisconsin in 2011.

Ash took the same role at Arkansas in 2013 before making the move to Ohio State. After securing a national title, Ash took his first head coaching role at Rutgers where he coached the Scarlet Knights from 2016-19.

Rutgers posted an 8-33 record under Ash, prompting a coaching change. He then moved to a defensive analyst role at Texas and went on to serve as defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Longhorns in 2020.

Ash jumped to the NFL in 2021, coaching safeties for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He coached defensive backs for the Las Vegas Raiders for the next two seasons before returning to the Jaguars as a scout in 2024.

For Notre Dame, the question remains whether Freeman and Co. will promote from within or bring in an experienced option like Ash.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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