The Cincinnati Bengals are finalizing terms with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden to bring him aboard in the same position on head coach

The Cincinnati Bengals appear to have the man they'll entrust with fixing their broken defense.

Al Golden’s return to the Cincinnati Bengals was made official Thursday, with the franchise announcing he was hired as defensive coordinator.

Al Golden agreed to return to the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday after three seasons as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the news: “The #Bengals are finalizing a deal with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, who is expected to be in Cincinnati on Thursday to officially sign on as DC, sources tell The Insiders.”

The Cincinnati Bengals hired Notre Dame's Al Golden as their new defensive coordinator, the team announced Thursday.

The Cincinnati Bengals have hired Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden as the next defensive coordinator of the franchise, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Wednesday.

The Cincinnati Bengals announced the hiring of Al Golden as their new defensive coordinator on Thursday. Golden, 55, spent the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. That stint followed two years as the Bengals' linebackers coach from 2020-21.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor shouts at an official as a replay runs on the video board in the first quarter of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After days of reports and speculation following Notre Dame’s national championship loss to Ohio State, the Cincinnati Bengals announced on Thursday afternoon that Golden has been hired as the team’s next defensive coordinator.

A native of Colts Neck, N.J., Golden played tight end at Penn State from 1988-91, then spent the 1992 season with the New England Patriots (no games played). He earned a bachelor’s degree in pre-law from Penn State in 1991, and a master’s degree in sports psychology from Virginia in 1996.