The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are reportedly expected to hire Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry as a co-defensive coordinator and the team’s defensive backs coach, according to CBS Sports Matt Zenitz.
Henry, 37, has spent the last two years as the Illini’s defensive coordinator and reportedly interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars before deciding to take the Notre Dame job.
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Now, Notre Dame will pair Henry with defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who was previously the head coach at Rutgers and worked as a defensive backs coach there for two seasons. Last season, Notre Dame ranked 22nd in yards and 11th in points allowed per game.
In addition to his new title, Henry will fill the team’s void at defensive backs coach, a position left open after Notre Dame’s former coach, Mike Mickens, departed to join Jesse Minter’s staff with the Baltimore Ravens.
At Illinois, Henry coached defensive backs such as Seahawks’ Devon Witherspoon, Eagles’ Sydney Brown, and Commanders’ Quan Martin. Illinois also won 19 games in the last two seasons, which was the winningest two-year run in school history.
After his playing career at the University of Wisconsin and the Oakland Raiders wrapped up, Henry started as a GA at Arkansas under his former college coach, Bret Bielema, in 2014.
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The former two-time All-Big Ten defensive back then started coaching secondaries at Rutgers, NC State and Vanderbilt before reuniting with Bielema at Illinois.
Despite the addition of Henry, Notre Dame will still need to fill their linebackers coach position after the newly named linebackers coach, Al Washington, was hired by the Miami Dolphins and new head coach Jeff Hafley.
Washington was set to replace former linebackers coach Max Bullough, who left to be the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at his alma mater, Michigan State.
Washington was not the only name to jump from Notre Dame to the NFL the past two offseasons.
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Former Irish defensive backs coach Chris O’Leary left Western Michigan to become the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, as well as the former Notre Dame linebackers coach Mike Elston. Last offseason, former Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden left to become the defensive coordinator of the Bengals.
