Notre Dame Football: What does Jaden Mickey bring to South Bend?

The Notre Dame Football program added a talented defensive back to the 2022 class, as California CB Jaden Mickey committed to the Irish.

Sunday afternoon, the Notre Dame Football program added to an already promising recruiting class, this time with 2022 cornerback out of California Jaden Mickey committing to the Irish. Defensive back coach Mike Mickens and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, along with special team coordinator Brian Polian absolutely worked hard for Mickey to join the class as soon as possible, and they got it done.

The relationship they built since offering in February was really big for this recruitment. Mickey is also very high on academics and clearly, that sealed the deal with what the Notre Dame education offers to you. Add the fact that the resume of the Irish coaches is top-notch,  it was meant to be for Mickey and the staff.

Currently, Mickey holds 19 offers, where he narrowed that down to a top-four of Notre Dame, Oregon, Northwestern, and Cal before pulling the trigger for the Irish.

What will Jaden Mickey bring to the Notre Dame Football program?

The 5’11 175-pound corner is going to bring play-making ability. During his sophomore season in high school, the consensus 4-star recruit racked up over 30 tackles to go with 11 pass breakups and six interceptions with two returned for touchdowns.

When the ball comes his way, he makes plays and that shows on film and his stats, that’s simple to see. He has very fluid hips and his change of direction shows nicely on film as well, along with really quick feet which you love to see in a cornerback. With players that have solid coverage skills you usually find a solid tackler missing in their game, but Mickey gets after it and isn’t afraid to wrap up and bring the ball carrier down.

Obviously, he didn’t get to have a junior season because of lockdowns so it’ll be huge for him to continue adding to his frame before stepping foot on campus but if he can do that and build on his speed, he’s someone that can come in and really make an impact in the secondary.

With Mickey pledging to Notre Dame, there are now ten commitments, four on defense and six on the offensive side. Mickey is the first defensive back commitment, but no doubt there will be a hand full once this class fills up. It’s a really solid start to the secondary and there are some seriously big fish left on the board that the Irish and Marcus Freeman can legitimately land. Stay locked in because this could get even more exciting for this recruiting cycle.