Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco has agreed to a five-year deal to become the new head coach at Connecticut, the school announced Thursday.

Bob Diaco won the 2012 Frank Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator. AP Photo/Joe Raymond

CBSSports.com reported that the deal starts at $1.5 million per year.

The 40-year-old Diaco, the recipient of the Frank Broyles Award in 2012 as the nation's top assistant, coached a Notre Dame defense that finished second nationally in scoring during its run to the national title game that season, surrendering less than 13 points per contest and giving up only 15 offensive touchdowns. Diaco will be introduced as Huskies coach at a news conference at 3:30 p.m. ET Thursday.

The Cedar Grove, N.J., native has drawn plenty of attention the past two years for his work with the Irish, including interviewing for the Boston College head-coaching job last year. He was highly popular with his Notre Dame players, many of whom took to Twitter on Wednesday night to voice their frustrations when news of his reported departure broke.

Diaco spent the past four seasons leading the Fighting Irish's defense. In 2009, he was defensive coordinator at Cincinnati before moving to Notre Dame with head coach Brian Kelly.