For some coaches, when they leave for another job, you don’t quite see them be complimentary to their last home, but for former Notre Dame defensive coordinator al golden, that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t easy for him to make the decision to return to the NFL,

Al Golden's tenure at Notre Dame was marked by success and significant contributions to the team's defense. As the defensive coordinator, Golden led the Fighting Irish to one of the nation's top defenses, achieving impressive rankings in several categories.

The Cincinnati Bengals defense was a mess in 2024 and it was evident that a change needed to be made. Enter familiar face, Al Golden, who was hired to replace Lou Anarumo as the head defensive man for the orange and black.