Unfortunately, the smoke surrounding now former Notre Dame football defensive coordinator al golden turned out to be true. According to a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Golden will take the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator position and has already informed head coach Marcus Freeman that he will be moving on.

One Notre Dame football player that improved their draft stock during Monday's national championship game is quarterback Riley Leonard. Leonard didn't have a big season by any means, but he did play a good game against Ohio State as he was 22-31 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Leonard was a big part of the comeback.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden is on the heels of an NFL job after the Fighting Irish lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday.

It's fitting that the first 12-team college football playoff will feature two of the country's most storied programs in Ohio State and Notre Dame. The Buckeyes are in search of their first national title since 2014 and their third this century.

Al Golden agreed to return to Cincinnati on Wednesday after three seasons as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced. More: 3 Wolverines, 3 ex-Spartans make ESPN list of top 100 college football players from '24-25

Ohio State held on to defeat Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Eric Edholm provides three takeaways from the game, with an eye on the 2025 NFL Draft.

If the numbers behind people tuning into college football has told us anything, Ohio State turns on television sets and streaming devices. We’ve seen that continue during the College Football Playoff,

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day celebrates with the trophy after their win against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) ATLANTA (AP) — The pass seemed to hang up there forever.