Report: Chris Ash to Be Named Notre Dame DC After Al Golden's Exit to Bengals

Notre Dame is working on a deal to bring Chris Ash in as the Fighting Irish's new defensive coordinator, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Ash replaces ex-Notre Dame DC Al Golden, who left to become the Cincinnati Bengals' new defensive coordinator.

The 51-year-old Ash most recently worked this past season as a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he's been a Division I-FBS defensive coordinator for six seasons with Wisconsin (2011-2012), Arkansas (2013), Ohio State (2014-2015) and Texas (2020).

Since his season as Texas' DC, Ash has worked as the Jaguars' safeties coach (2021) and the Las Vegas Raiders' defensive backs coach (2022-2023) before heading back to Jacksonville.

Ash was also Rutgers' head coach from 2016-2019. The team went 8-32 under his watch, and he was fired after a 1-3 start in 2019.

Ash's defensive units have fared quite well at times. Of note, Ohio State was second in scoring defense in 2015, the year prior to him becoming Rutgers' head coach. Wisconsin was sixth and 17th in scoring defense during his two years in town.

Prior to arriving in Madison, Ash was a college coach from 1997-2009, beginning at his alma mater Drake as a graduate assistant. He was also Drake's defensive coordinator in 1998-1999 before moving to Division I-FCS as Iowa State's graduate assistant in 2000. He remained with the Cyclones through 2006, when he was the team's defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator.

Ash held those same roles with San Diego State in 2007 and 2008 before heading back to Iowa State as defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator once again in 2009. He then moved to Wisconsin as its defensive backs coach in 2010 before getting a promotion to defensive coordinator.

Now he's back in college working with Notre Dame, last season's national championship runner-up. The Fighting Irish were second in scoring defense last year but have work to do on that end the quality of the team's departures.

Of note, four Notre Dame defensive players appear on the B/R NFL Scouting Department's latest big board: S Xavier Watts, CB Benjamin Morrison, LB Jack Kiser, DL Howard Cross III and DL Rylie Mills.

Ash and the Fighting Irish begin next season on Aug. 31 when the team visits Miami (Florida).