Devyn Ford spent four years at Penn State before transferring to Notre Dame in 2023. Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said Nittany Lions fans "should be excited to watch him."

Notre Dame earned two College Football Playoff victories despite the offense not playing its best football. The unit did enough to win both games thanks to elite play from the defense and special teams. Against Penn State the Irish offense will need to play much better.

Here's a look back at Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden's ties to Penn State ahead of Thursday's Orange Bowl:

Notre Dame’s path to defeating Penn State in their CFP clash relies on 5 critical factors. Here’s what the Irish must do to win.