SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After a remarkable season for the Irish defense, former Bob Hinton Defensive Coordinator Al Golden has been named the winner of the 2024 Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coach.
Golden is the second Notre Dame coach to win the award, joining Bob Diaco in 2012.
Notre Dame’s 2024 defense was dominant and one of the most complete defenses in the country, ranking among the FBS’ top teams. Notre Dame ranked first in pass efficiency defense (104.4), first in turnovers gained (33), first in defensive touchdowns (6), first in blocked kicks (6), second in fumbles recovered (14), second in blocked punts (3), fourth in passing yards allowed (169.4), fourth in scoring defense (15.5), fifth in passes intercepted (19) and 11th in total defense (307.4).
Notre Dame earned the most ranked wins of any FBS team this season with seven. Of teams that faced more than one ranked opponent this season, Notre Dame owned the best record against ranked teams in the FBS, going 7-1. Notre Dame is the first team ever to beat an AP-ranked opponent in 6 different months in the same season.
Golden’s defense created game-changing opportunities for Notre Dame, as the Irish led the nation in turnovers gained (33). The Irish earned 158 points off of turnovers this season, compared to their opponents’ 44 (+114 point differential).
Golden coached his players to hold seven opponents to 125 or fewer passing yards this regular season, the most instances among all FBS programs in that period. Notre Dame held opponents to 250 or fewer yards of offense in six games this regular season, tied for the second-most in FBS in the regular season.
The Irish allowed one or fewer touchdowns on seven occasions this season. In three multi-touchdown games, the second touchdown was scored late in the fourth quarter, once the game was already put away for the Irish.
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.