The 2024 season might go down as one of glorious failures for Notre Dame. The aptly named Fighting Irish recorded two of their biggest victories in the last 30 years to reach the National Championship game and change how people view the program on the biggest stage. On the other hand, after going down to OSU in the title game, they have been rocked. They recently lost another player to the transfer portal, while there are reports of two more staff members leaving the program. Marcus Freeman has also seen GM Chad Bowden depart for rivals USC.

The first blow to the Fighting Irish came immediately after losing the national championship game when offensive lineman Sam Pendleton entered the transfer portal. Shortly afterward senior wide receivers Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie departed as graduate transfers. But a massive setback came days later when defensive coordinator Al Golden joined the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, leaving Freeman in a conundrum.

Al Golden had spent three fruitful years in South Bend. Last year, they had one of the best defenses in the country in 2024, giving up just 15.5 points per game. Only four teams did better—one of them being Ohio State. So Freeman’s first task was to find a replacement and it appears he was swift to move.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.  the Fighting Irish have hired former Rutgers coach Chris Ash to be their new defensive coordinator. The 51-year-old Ash has been in the NFL since the start of the 2021 season and worked as a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. He will be seen as a major coup for Freeman and Fox Sports’ RJ Young isn’t mincing his words on this one.

Talking on the Number One College Football Show, Young said, “This is a great hire for Marcus Freeman because a: you have a guy in Chris Ash who knows how to coach a defense that wins the national championship…. You also got a guy who’s got some head coaching experience—Chris Ash, who was head coach at Rutgers, but his last stop didn’t go so well. Greg Schiano took over, seems like that’s the only place where Greg Schiano can coach; it’s the only place where Greg Schiano can win.” 

Ash may not have had a stellar run leading Rutgers (8-33), but his defensive resume is no joke. He was the co-DC at Ohio State in 2014 when they ran through Bama and Oregon for the title. That season, the Buckeyes were physical, fast, and downright nasty on defense. Ash later had stops at Wisconsin, and Arkansas, and spent time in the NFL, working with the Jaguars and Raiders. His last gig? A scout for Jacksonville in 2024. Now, he’s back in college football with a chance to revive Notre Dame’s defensive identity.

What’s interesting is that Ash has deep Big Ten ties. Which is crucial since Notre Dame still recruits heavily in that region. RJ Young broke it down: “He worked with Al Golden back in the day at Wisconsin. So, you got a man that is very familiar with the Big Ten and recruiting that area as much as that matters today… but also it doesn’t take up nearly as much of your time as roster management.”

Still, replacing Al Golden won’t be easy. With him in charge of the defense, the Fighting Irish led the nation with 33 takeaways, scored six defensive touchdowns, and led all Power Four teams in turnover margin (plus-18).

Ash is stepping into a war zone. Freeman lost key defensive pieces like Jack Kiser, Xavier Watts, and Rylie Mills. But he’s still got some heat left in the chamber with Drayk Bowen, Adon Shuler, and Jaiden Ausberry returning. The Irish can still be elite on defense, but Ash has to work fast.

But Ash’s arrival will provide some sense of relief in what has been a chaotic aftermath following the national championship game.

GM Chad Bowden left for USC and will reportedly make triple what he earned at Notre Dame. His loss as a key player recruiter could hurt Notre Dame. He was instrumental in the acquisition of experienced quarterbacks Riley Leonard (ex-Duke) and Sam Hartman (ex-Wake Forest) in the past two offseasons.

Moreover, another player Ty Chan announced his departure from the program, as he has now committed to the UConn Huskies. But that’s not all, there are reports that two more staff members are headed for the exit door at Notre Dame.

Marcus Freeman could lose more key personnel

Chad Bowden’s move to USC has proved to be more troubling for the Fighting Irish than imagined. Reports are emerging that Bowden’s first hire as the Trojans’ GM will be  Notre Dame’s Director of Player Personal Zaire Turner.

Turner did work well with Bowden at Notre Dame behind the scenes. Before this season, she was the Director of Recruiting Operations for the Fighting Irish over the previous two years. From 2018 to 2020, she was the Recruiting and Operations Coordinator at Virginia Tech. Then there is an NFL team circling another key member of Freeman’s staff.

According to The Athletic, the Chicago Bears are interested in hiring Notre Dame’s offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. Rudolph started his coaching career in 2004 as a graduate assistant at Ohio State. He then held roles at Nebraska, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech before joining the Fighting Irish in 2023. For Freeman, this is just more headache.

One thing is for sure: Freeman has no more room for mistakes. He seems to have got the right person in place in Chris Ash, but it looks like there will be more work to do for Notre Dame this off-season as they look to keep their reputation intact for next season.