Max Bullough departed for his alma mater, Michigan State.
Then Al Washington’s alma mater, Boston College, pursued Notre Dame’s defensive run game coordinator and line coach for its defensive coordinator post.
Instead, Washington officially is staying put with the Fighting Irish.
And, sources tell FootballScoop, Washington is being made Notre Dame’s linebackers coach, effective immediately.
It’s a nod, sources shared, to Washington’s ongoing career growth and an opportunity for Washington to take the next steps in his coaching career on a potential path to becoming a defensive coordinator or head coach.
Of note, Washington also interviewed and was a finalist for the head coaching job at Boston College a couple of years ago before the program ultimately hired former Penn State and NFL’s Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien.
Washington remains among the first hires of Marcus Freeman following Freeman’s elevation to Notre Dame head coach in Dec. 2021.
He hired Washington away from Ohio State at a time when Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs program also had discussed a position with Washington.
Washington now is Notre Dame’s second-longest tenured assistant coach, behind similarly rising defensive coaching star Mike Mickens, who was hired by Brian Kelly and has remained a linchpin on the Irish staff despite overtures in recent years from USC, among other programs.
Washington possesses some of the most notable coaching versatility on Notre Dame’s staff. A standout defensive lineman at Boston College, Washington in an ongoing 19-year coaching career has coached multiple defensive spots, assisted on special teams and also coached Boston College’s running backs for three seasons from 2013-15.
In now taking over the Fighting Irish linebackers following Bullough’s exit for the co-defensive coordinator role in Pat Fitzgerald’s new Michigan State program, Washington immediately takes over a Notre Dame linebacking corps that’s as good or better than any other unit in college football.
The Irish are slated to return star and captain Drayk Bowen, consistent playmaker Jaiden Ausberry and, upon return from injury, potential breakout-superstar Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, as well as rising sophomore Madden Faraimo. He was the crown jewel in Notre Dame’s 2025 signing class, a consensus five-star prospect who flashed several times during his 2025 true freshman campaign. Notre Dame, sources said, also is optimistic that it will retain former five-star signee Jaylen Sneed for his final year of collegiate eligibility.
The 2026 Notre Dame signing class, consensus top-five and the program’s highest-ranked recruiting haul in the modern era, features a pair of heralded linebackers: 247Sports four-star Thomas Davis Jr. and Jakobe Clapper.
Freeman and defensive coordinator Chris Ash already are in the process of vetting candidates for the defensive line spot that Washington vacates. Sources have indicated the Irish are looking at multiple NFL assistants, among other potential options.
