An incumbent Irish assistant is also expected to take on an elevated role in Marcus Freeman’s new-look defense.
Notre Dame is completing a deal to make Chris Ash its next defensive coordinator, sources told FootballScoop on Tuesday. FootballScoop originally reported on the Irish’s interest in Ash on Sunday.
Sources also maintained that defensive backs coach Mike Mickens is expected to have an elevated role in the defense moving forward.
Ash replaces Al Golden, who took the defensive coordinator job for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Like Golden, Ash worked in the NFL before coming to Notre Dame, a career change which followed a run of head coaching and high-profile defensive coordinator posts at the college level. Ash won a national championship as Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2014.
Success under Urban Meyer led him to the head coaching position at Rutgers, where he went 8-32 in three-plus seasons. He then spent 2020 as the defensive coordinator at Texas, then joined the Jacksonville Jaguars under Meyer after Tom Herman was not retained in Austin.
