Four years ago, Mike Moon was hired to Notre Dame's defensive staff by then-coordinator Marcus Freeman and ex-defensive line coach Mike Elston. But Moon quickly became a key cog in the Fighting Irish's Al Golden-led defense, proving his coaching versatility by roles that assisted with the coaching of Notre Dame's defensive line and linebackers.

Notre Dame made a run through the CPF to the championship game, falling short to Ohio State. Defensive coordinator Al Golden left for the NFL to be defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. According to CBS Sports and 247 Sports,

The Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator job has been open for more than two weeks now, but there hasn't been much movement on a possible hiring and now we know why: The team was waiting for Notre Dame to finish its season.