We answer if Notre Dame will keep Chris Ash for the remainder of the season

Notre Dame football has seen its defense take a big step back after Al Golden left for the NFL and Marcus Freeman named Chris Ash as his replacement.

On the year, the Irish are No. 117 in scoring defense allowing just over 32-points-per-game, and No. 101 in total defense giving up almost 400-yards-per-game. It hasn’t been pretty for Notre Dame, and many have been quick to blame the struggles on Ash.

Some of the angst is warranted, but some of it is due to multiple players not performing at the level they did last year. That could be credited to learning a new defense, but it’s still a bit shocking considering how well they played in 2024, and how many significant players were returning.

The question now is what to do with Ash, do the Irish keep him around or move on. The staff here at Fighting Irish Wire weigh in on what Notre Dame should do at defensive coordinator.

Tim Healey

I think he does on one very obvious condition -- the Irish get their defensive issues, especially in the secondary, fixed. And soon.

Freeman seemed to imply that players weren't executing -- but also that the players weren't executing because the coaching wasn't getting through. Meanwhile, players have often looked confused about where they should be, especially those in the secondary. So it seems that if players and coaches can get on the same page regarding the scheme, maybe the explosive plays will be stifled.

The rush defense was stout against Purdue, and the pass rush improved also over the first two weeks. Notre Dame has also faced top-notch passing games in the first two games and a Purdue team that is strong in that area as well.

So it's been a perfect storm of bad -- scheme confusion, execution, and challenging opponents. The third is something Notre Dame can't control. If it can fix the first two problems, Ash will be around all year. If not, well...

Dave Miller

It's been an ugly start to the season for the Fighting Irish, most notably on the defensive side of the ball.

The matchup against Purdue looked like the perfect opportunity to get things right. Instead, ND gave up 23-points and 286 total yards in the first half against the Boilermakers. However, the Irish did have two interceptions and two sacks in last week's game. Still, this is clearly an underachieving bunch.

This week, head coach Marcus Freeman essentially spread collective blame, not pointing the finger directly at defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Freeman said the defensive staff held an uncomfortable meeting during the video review of the Purdue game and that he wanted it to be that way.

The Irish are on the road this week against an Arkansas team that will test the defense. Will Leonard Moore be able to play? He remains questionable. What is also questionable is whether this defense can come together, help out the offense and spur on a long winning streak to keep ND alive for a College Football Playoff berth.

Ultimately I think Freeman keeps Ash around for the entirety of the season and the defense improves. There could be a shakeup in the offseason, but I think Ash sticks around with Freeman perhaps being a little more vocal on that side of the ball.

Michael Chen

It’s been pretty clear what has been holding this Notre Dame team back, it’s been on the defensive side of the ball. With Al Golden, it was clear that the Irish had not only the talent, but the scheme to dominate its opponents.

The change to Chris Ash just hasn’t gone to plan, as the defense has regressed to a point where they’re a big liability. Anytime the offense scores over 40-points, you should win, but that wasn’t the case against Texas A&M. Miami was a different story, but against Purdue, the issues showed once again.

There have been more than a few aspects of the defense that have struggled, from getting to the quarterback to the defensive backs getting burned on explosive plays. The linebackers have played well, so that is a positive. While the idea was to run virtually the same system as Golden, Ash has not been able to replicate his success.

At this point, I don’t think that Freeman boots Ash off the staff, but there is a high chance that he could lose play-calling duties. It doesn’t seem like that is out of the realm of possibilities, as there have been many coaches that have done that in the past. It’s not a long-term solution, but with his defensive background, Freeman is the logic choice to take on a much bigger role with what the defense is doing.

To me, it’s way more likely that Freeman makes a move during the off-season, but I doubt that another team views Ash very highly to try and steal him away. I think he is fired at the end of the year, and the next defensive coordinator enters the program with much more recent success.

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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Does Chris Ash finish the year with Notre Dame? We answer that