Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden is on the heels of an NFL job after the Fighting Irish lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday.

With Notre Dame coming up just short of winning a national title, it gives the Cincinnati Bengals the go-ahead to be in hot pursuit of the Fighting Irish's defensive coordinator Al Golden. His return to Cincinnati may be what turns the Bengals around.

Despite suffering significant injuries on the defensive line throughout the season and postseason, and losing expected first-round pick, cornerback Benjamin Morrison to a season-ending hip injury against Stanford, Golden's defense has been one of the best units in the country in 2024.

Notre Dame's Al Golden is expected to interview with Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor in the next 48 hours for the defensive coordinator job.

The Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator job has been open for more than two weeks now, but there hasn't been much movement on a possible hiring and now we know why: The team was waiting for Notre Dame to finish its season.

It's only a matter of time before the Cincinnati Bengals make a decision on hiring a new defensive coordinator. Reports state that Al Golden will be in Cincinnati sometime Wednesday to interview for the position and that he's the favorite to land the job.