Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 APRIL 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL I t started with an innocuous Google search. Al Golden knew Notre Dame had a defensive coordinator opening when he learned of Marcus Freeman's promo- tion to head coach Dec. 3. He had his feet firmly planted in an NFL playoff race and enjoyed life in the pros, but this one was at least worth a few minutes of research. He required no introduction to Notre Dame, having interviewed for the head coaching job in 2009 that went to Brian Kelly. He did, though, need to learn about Freeman. The two had never crossed paths. What was Freeman like? What did he stand for? Golden first looked for answers by searching for and watching Freeman's introductory press conference. His takeaway from it? "That would be a place that'd get me back," Golden said. Thanks to Golden's run to Super Bowl LVI with the Cincinnati Bengals, more than two months passed from ini- tial interest to his formal hiring Feb. 16. In between, the 52-year-old former Miami and Temple head coach and Notre Dame's 36-year-old first-time boss learned they were a match. In coaching philosophy. In job need. And in where Freeman wants to take Notre Dame as its new leader. Golden's first hint that would all come true came as he digested Free- man's Dec. 6 introduction from afar. "It was late at night, I don't know the day, but I said to my wife, 'That's a spe- cial person. He doesn't need notes. He knows what he wants to say,'" Golden said. "He's not calculated. He's authen- tic. It's truly who he is, and he believes it. I felt that the longer this process went." Interest had to be reciprocated, though. Freeman knew of Golden from his prior jobs, and there was a second-hand con- nection on staff with former tight ends coach John McNulty, Golden's teammate at Penn State from 1988-90. He wanted a defensive coordinator with head coaching experience and one who'd be willing to meet him halfway with adapting to Notre Dame's existing defensive structure. He knew Golden fit the first. The second re- quired some more investigating. "The more we met, the more we talked, I learned right away this person understands football, he understands GOLDEN HIRE Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and new defensive coordinator Al Golden identified each other as a fit