Bengals could rob Notre Dame of the secret cause that helped fuel the Irish's CFP run

So close, yet so far. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish completed their greatest season in my lifetime. While they still have not won a national title since the Ronald Reagan administration, the Golden Domers remain one of the very best teams in all of college football. Just because they lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff National Championship does not mean it is over.

Unfortunately, it looks to be the case for Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden. While Notre Dame would love to keep him around, the Cincinnati Bengals loom large and want to hire him as Lou Anarumo's successor. Keep in mind Golden had been on the Bengals staff prior to being poached by Notre Dame to be Marcus Freeman's defensive coordinator. A return to Cincinnati feels imminent.

Anarumo interviewed with a few NFL teams, including my Atlanta Falcons, before becoming the next defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis. I do not think it was fair that the Bengals scapegoated him for questionable personnel decisions and inconsistent coaching from Zac Taylor, but it is what it is. Then again, the Bengals defense has not been the same since Golden left for South bend in 2022.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Golden is the top candidate to run the Bengals defense.

Golden may be able to improve the Bengals defense, but it would be a crushing loss for Notre Dame.

Al Golden emerges as the favorite to lead the Cincinnati Bengals defense

Other than money and familiarity with the organization, the other reason for Golden to potentially leave the college game behind is a future head-coaching opportunity. While he was a success leading the Temple Owls in the late 2000s, Golden was best known for sweating through his overly starchy white dress shirt in the midst of losing games for the Miami Hurricanes in the early 2010s.

What I am getting at is Golden's best shot at being a head coach again might actually be in the NFL. If he is the one to help Joe Burrow and the Bengals finally win a Super Bowl, some bad NFL team is going to want to hire him to be their next head coach. See, the pros are all about in-game strategy and not recruitment. I think that serves Golden more if he ever wanted to be a head coach again.

Overall, there is some risk with the Bengals potentially taking Golden on as their next coordinator. Was he really the secret sauce? Was it actually Anarumo? Some combination of both. God forbid it was Jessie Bates III... Either way, the Bengals have identified the right man for the job. The only question is if reaching into one's past is the right way to go here. Anarumo found work immediately.

The only reason to fire Anarumo was to bring Golden back into the fold. Otherwise, this was stupid.