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It was just a week ago tonight that Al Golden was coaching Notre Dame's defense in the national championship game against Ohio State. We all know how that game went as soon as it was over reports of Golden being a frontrunner to become the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator surfaced.
Just a couple days later Golden had accepted the job and was on his way to Cincinnati. On this Monday morning Golden was introduced in Cincinnati but asked a good amount about his time at Notre Dame.
Below are some of the key things he had to say regarding the Fighting Irish.
Al Golden on Notre Dame's Longterm Outlook
"I think they're built to last for a really long time. It's always hard to leave because you invest so much into people...Even the young kids understood the value of this. There's only 32 of these and there's even less that have Joe Burrow."
Al Golden on Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame as a Whole
"If I could take a minute just to thank Coach Freeman," Golden said. "I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to all the players. ... I tried to reach every player I could."
Al Golden on Notre Dame's Impact Freshmen in 2024 Season
Al Golden on Being Home in Cincinnati
“I got in the car Thursday at 5 a.m., and when I made that right off I-74 and saw (Paycor) stadium — I knew I was home.”
Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts:
Golden clearly did a great job at Notre Dame and his impact was grand in the Irish making a trip to the national championship game. It doesn't earn any extra wins for him or Notre Dame going forward but in terms of being a decent human being it is nice to see him reach out to his players in South Bend and tell them personally what his plans were instead of sending some bizarre group message after the news was already known.
Golden's family lives in Cincinnati where he has kids in high school so the combination of everything the Bengals job could offer is clearly a big deal to him. My professional football rootings have always gone to another team in the AFC North but I'll certainly have a hard time rooting against Golden in the future.
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