Just over a week after losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the national championship game, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have their next defensive coordinator.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, the university is hiring Chris Ash as their new DC. He'll take over for Al Golden—who left Notre Dame for the same role with the Cincinnati Bengals last Thursday.
Sources: Chris Ash has accepted the job as the Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator. Ash brings a blend of coordinating experience, NFL experience and high-end results as a collegiate coordinator. A deal is expected to be finalized in the near future. pic.twitter.com/1qOjdpb6jf
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 29, 2025
Ash has a plethora of experience coaching at both the collegiate and NFL levels. He has been the defensive coordinator for Drake (1998 to '99), Wisconsin (2011 to '12), Arkansas ('13), Ohio State ('14 to '15), and Texas ('20)—and his NFL stops include stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2021, safeties coach) and Las Vegas Raiders ('22 to '23, defensive backs coach).
The 51-year-old also had a second stint in Jacksonville as a scout in 2024, and was both a recruiting coordinator and a defensive backs coach during his time with Iowa State (2006), San Diego State ('07 to '08), and Iowa State ('09).
Ash's top job was as the head coach at Rutgers from 2016 to '19, where he boasted an 8-32 record before being fired after less than four seasons.
The Fighting Irish defense he'll take over from Golden was one of the best in college football this past season. Notre Dame allowed just 14.3 points per game during the 2024 season—good for second in the nation—and also finished top 10 in total yards allowed per game.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Notre Dame Tabs Former Big Ten Head Coach As Next Defensive Coordinator.
