Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has been named the winner of the 2024 Broyles Award. The prestigious honor goes to football’s top assistant coach. Golden, now with the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL, is the second Notre Dame coach to win the award. He joins Bob Diaco, who won it in 2012.
The Golden Years
In 2022, Golden took over the Irish defense. He developed his group into one of the top defenses in the nation. In accepting his award, Golden said, “Thank you to coach (Marcus) Freeman for believing in me. Not just believing in me, but to create and foster an environment that allowed me to be the best that I could be. That allowed all the coaches on his staff to be the best that they could possibly be. It was an incredible 1,000 days not just with coach Freeman but with all the assistants that I had the pleasure to work with.”
Led by veteran standouts like Jack Kiser, Rylie Mills, and Xavier Watts, Golden’s defense was dominant in 2024. The stubborn and deep unit ranked first in pass efficiency defense (104.4), first in turnovers gained (33), first in defensive touchdowns (6), and first in blocked kicks (6). Additionally, the Irish defense ranked second in fumbles recovered (14), second in blocked punts (3), fourth in passing yards allowed (169.4), and fourth in scoring defense (15.5).
Unprecedented Success
Notre Dame earned the most ranked wins of any FBS team this past season with seven. Marcus Freeman’s squad is the first team ever to beat an Associated Press-ranked opponent in six different months during the same season. Golden’s defense created numerous game-changing opportunities for the Irish. Notre Dame racked up 158 points off turnovers last season.
The Irish defense held seven opponents to 125 or fewer passing yards during the regular season, the most among all FBS programs. Notre Dame held opponents to 250 or fewer yards of offense in six games during the regular season, tied for the second-most in the FBS.
This season, the Irish held 12 opponents to 17 or fewer points, and just two opponents scored more than 30 points. That is the best run for an Irish defense since 2012 when Notre Dame held 10 opponents under 16 points and just one opponent (Alabama in the BCS title game) reached 30 points.
Al Golden’s impact on Notre Dame’s defense makes him an undeniably worthy recipient of the Broyles Award. It solidifies his place among the nation’s elite assistant coaches. Incoming defensive coordinator Chris Ash has big shoes to fill in South Bend.
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