Al Golden’s move to Bengals DC role reportedly just a ‘pen to paper’ away, with timeline for hire projected | Sporting News

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has done his best to deflect attention from his NFL prospects, but the writing has been on the wall for weeks.

With the College Football Playoff National Championship behind him, it appears Golden is set to return to the professional ranks.

Ahead of Monday's title game against Ohio State, Golden was asked about the Cincinnati Bengals' vacant defensive coordinator position , a role hes widely rumored to be the favorite for.

"It's humbling that your name is mentioned because of team success or the success of our defense," Golden said.

"This is not the time or place.

This is about the kids ...

The biggest thing for us right now is understanding the enormity of this game.

That's our focus.

All of that other stuff, we'll deal with in the future.

The Fighting Irish ultimately fell short against the Buckeyes, leaving Golden to face renewed questions about his next steps.

His postgame comments were just as measured.

"I'm sorry, I can't even fathom thinking about anything right now other than what we just experienced," Golden said, per 247Sports.

However, according to The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr., Goldens move to the Bengals is all but confirmed .

As weve been saying, Zac Taylor has long held Al Golden as the leading candidate in the DC search, Dehner wrote.

Heres the expected timeline: Golden will spend today and early tomorrow wrapping things up at ND.

Then Taylor looks to officially interview him Wednesday.

Golden, 55, has spent the last three seasons in South Bend, turning Notre Dames defense into one of the nations best.

Before joining the Irish, he worked under Bengals head coach Zac Taylor as the teams linebackers coach, creating a natural connection between the two.

If Goldens move materializes, head coach Marcus Freeman will face a critical task in replacing one of his top assistants.

While the next chapter for Golden seems clear, Freeman must now find a new defensive mind to fill the void..

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