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Notre Dame is facing the other end of a good problem to have.
The Irish have lost two important assistant coaches in defensive backs coach Mike Mickens and linebackers coach Al Washington. Mickens joined the Ravens staff under Jesse Minter and Washington joined the Dolphins staff under Jeff Hafley.
On Sunday, they reportedly filled one of those openings with a sitting Big Ten defensive coordinator.
What we know:
According to 247Sports, Notre Dame will hire Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry as its defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator.
Henry will reunite with Irish defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Henry played under Ash at Wisconsin when Ash was the Badgers' defensive coordinator and coached defensive backs under Ash when Ash was the head coach at Rutgers.
Henry also spent time coaching at NC State and Vanderbilt before taking the job at Illinois.
Henry's focus will be on the defensive backs, and he has a stellar track record with developing players in Champaign.
Since taking over as the Illini's defensive backs coach in 2021, Henry developed Devon Witherspoon into a top-five NFL Draft pick and also developed Quan Martin, Sydney Brown and Kerby Joseph into NFL Draft picks.
After taking over as Illinois' defensive coordinator in 2023 after Ryan Walters took the head coaching job at Purdue, the Illini allowed 29.4 points per game in 2023 before improving to 21.7 points allowed per game. The Illini defense took a step back in 2025.
Henry's defensive coordinator role in Champaign was his first time calling defensive plays, and there were growing pains.
College football transfer portal: Assessing Notre Dame football in the open portal window
Here’s a look at how the Fighting Irish fared in the open transfer portal window at the start of January.
Big picture view:
Mickens and Washington's departures left Notre Dame with two defensive assistant positions to fill under head coach Marcus Freeman. It's a good problem to have, because it means Notre Dame is a successful program and is developing players at a high rate.
However, it hurts because this is a year when the Irish don't just have legitimate national title aspirations, they're one of the early favorites. A big reason is because of the roster Notre Dame has.
The Irish return Leonard Moore, cornerback Christian Gray opposite Moore, experienced safety Adon Shuler and second-year safety Tae Johnson in the secondary. This offseason, Notre Dame also added transfers Jayden Sanders and DJ McKinney, as well as five-star cornerback Khary Adams and five-star safety Joey O'Brien.
Not only is Notre Dame's secondary talented, but its deep and is set up for the future.
Mickens was always in line for the step in his career. That's a testament to what he's done in South Bend. He developed Benjamin Morrison into a second-round NFL Draft pick, developed Moore into the nation's top cornerback and oversaw Johnson's breakout freshman season.
Adding Henry fills one of those roles. He'll have no shortage of talent to work with. The optics of Henry taking a job which takes defensive playcalling out of his hands might mean he was about to have those responsibilities taken from him by Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, especially as the Illini defense never returned to the levels it reached under Walters.
For Notre Dame, Freeman sees Henry for the abilities he has as a defensive backs coach and a recruiter as opposed to his skills as a defensive coordinator.
CBS reported that the Irish were interested in Oklahoma defensive backs coach Jay Valai, who is one of the best defensive backs coaches in the SEC. However, the Buffalo Bills are reportedly interested in Valai.
Hiring Henry adds a proven defensive backs coach to the coaching staff in South Bend who has acute knowledge of Ash's defensive schemes. In a year when the Irish are expected to compete for a national title, adding that familiarity might prove beneficial with a secondary that's already extremely talented.
College football transfer portal: Assessing Illinois football in the open portal window
Here’s a look at how the Fighting Illini fared in the open transfer portal window at the start of January.
What's next:
For Illinois, Bielema is now in the market for a defensive coordinator.
For a program that had College Football Playoff aspirations in 2025, only to watch them evaporate by midseason, this could be a breath of fresh air defensively.
Henry might not have been the right fit as a defensive coordinator, but now Bielema can pursue the coach that might be.
A name that comes to mind is Fresno State defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto. He's already familiar with Illinois. He is a Crystal Lake, Illinois, native and was the defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois before moving to California.
Benedetto's defense in 2025 at Fresno State ranked 5th nationally with 2.1 takeaways per game. More importantly, he has experience as a defensive coordinator.
Whatever Illinois does next will shape the future of the Illini defense.