Al Washington reunites with Jeff Hafley in Miami. The former Notre Dame linebackers coach heads to the NFL, leaving a talented Irish unit.
Irish Breakdown has confirmed the report that newly-named linebackers coach Al Washington is headed to the Miami Dolphins to reunite with Jeff Hafley who Washington worked with while at Ohio State. Hafley was also the head coach at Boston College from 2020 to 2023 which was Washington's alma mater. This was first reported by John Brice at FootballScoop.
Earlier this offseason, head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive coordinator Chris Ash made the move to replace Max Bullough with Washington who was Notre Dame's defensive line coach since 2022. Bullough returned to his alma mater, Michigan State, to be their co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under new Spartan's head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Washington has coached linebackers at multiple stops throughout this career including 2011 with Elon, 2018 with Michigan and 2019-2021 with the Ohio State Buckeyes. During that time, he coached several notable linebackers including Devin Bush at Michigan in 2018, Malik Harrison, Pete Werner, Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, Tommy Eichenburg, Steele Chambers and Cody Simon during his time at Ohio State.
Washington's move to the linebacking unit was to give some continuity to one of Notre Dame's deepest position room on defense while also give Washington the opportunity to advance his career. I just didn't expect the advancement to happen this quickly. The move is understandable; Washington is, once again, coaching with someone who he's had previous ties with in the coaching world, this time at the professional level.
The Columbus, Ohio native was the longest tenured coach on Freeman's staff after defensive backs coach Mike Mickens departed for the NFL just a few days ago. This is a different age in college football; every defensive coach that was on staff during Notre Dame's 2024 run to the national title game has now moved on from South Bend.
Now, the process of hiring another defensive replacement begins. Freeman was brought to the Irish as their defensive coordinator in 2021 and played linebacker at Ohio State. This is a position group that he holds in high regard and a position that should be filled rather quickly. Whoever steps in will be walking into a very experienced and talented room.
The Notre Dame linebacking corps is expected to be one of the deepest and most talented units in the country. Linebackers Drayk Bowen, Jaiden Ausberry, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Jaylen Sneed and Madden Faraimo all return. This past season, Notre Dame's linebackers combined for 217 total tackles and 24.0 tackles for a loss. As they prepare to head into year two of the Ash system, I'd expect their production to ramp up in 2026.
The process is still on-going to find the replacement for Mickens and now, finding Washington's replacement will also be a top priority. Notre Dame has one of the most talented defensive rosters in the country. Their openings at defensive backs coach and linebackers coach will be one of the more desirable openings in college football.
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