Multiple sources tell FootballScoop that Notre Dame and coach Marcus Freeman are moving closer to a defensive hire to replace Al Golden.
And that move is expected to be another coach with previous experience running a program.
Multiple sources tell FootballScoop that Freeman and the Irish are zeroing in on Chris Ash, the former Ohio State defensive coordinator and four-year head coach at Rutugers.
The Athletic's Pete Sampson first reported Notre Dame's interest in Ash, who spent this past season as a "pro scout" for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.
No deal is done for Ash to join the Fighting Irish staff in the wake of the departure of Al Golden, a Broyles Award finalist who helped engineer one of the top defenses in college football and a former head coach at both Temple and Miami (Fla.).
Per sources, Ash shares the same agent, Clint Dowdle, as Freeman.
Several sources with knowledge of negotiations also indicated that Freeman has continued to discuss a potential co-defensive coordinator role with Mike Mickens, the star defensive backs coach for the Irish and the program's longest-tenured staff member -- pre-dating even Freeman's arrival in South Bend. Nothing is finalized on that front.
Mickens is the man responsible for Cincinnati's recruitment and signing of eventual NFL First Round Draft Pick Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, already a Pro Bowler, as well as Notre Dame's recruitment and signing of Ben Morrison, Christian Gray and Leonard Moore.
Per several sources, Freeman is seeking to keep Mickens as a co-defensive coordinator for the Irish, but Mickens also is exploring several options -- including in the NFL, as well as other notable, high-profile college programs.
Just last month, when asked about Mickens and empowering his coaches, Freeman said this prior to Notre Dame's win against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl:
“He’s ready to be a defensive coordinator when he gets the right opportunity," Freeman said of Mickens, a former star cornerback at Cincinnati and NFL Draft Pick. "But I’m not excited to see him leaving our defensive staff anytime.
The Notre Dame program needed a new defensive coordinator after Al Golden returned to the NFL, where he will take over the defense of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ash has been a defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and Arkansas, as well as a co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State before he accepted the head coaching job at Rutgers.
He compiled an 8-32 record in three-plus seasons atop the Rutgers football program.
If Notre Dame can finalize a deal with Ash, he would fill one of two current key voids within the Fighting Irish department.
A number of sources told FootballScoop that Notre Dame also talked to Jim Knowles and Jim Leonhard, with Knowles accepting the Penn State job on Sunday and Leonhard, as of now, electing to stay in the NFL.
Highly regarded personnel expert Chad Bowden, FootballScoop's 2024 Player Personnel Director of the Year as voted by his peers, departed Friday to become the general manager within Lincoln Riley's USC program.
Per sources, Notre Dame has identified North Carolina's Patrick Suddes as a top candidate to replace Bowden, who exited for a seven-figure salary at USC after making just $275,000 in guaranteed compensation at Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish are coming off their best season under Freeman, falling 34-23 Monday night to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff Championship.
Notre Dame defeated Indiana, Georgia and Penn State to reach the CFP title bout.