Coaching searches always feel longer than they really are. Still, on Sunday, Notre Dame reportedly found its replacement for Mike Mickens in Aaron Henry less than a week after it found itself needing a new co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Henry had just begun his fourth year as Illinois' defensive coordinator in 2026 and his sixth on staff with the Fighting Illini. Henry was promoted to Illinois' defensive coordinator in December 2022 after spending two seasons as the Illini's defensive backs coach from 2021-22.
Now he'll move over to Notre Dame, where he'll work alongside Chris Ash, according to numerous reports. The two coaches know each other well, as Henry led the defensive backs at Rutgers in 2016.
Notre Dame is expected to hire Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry as a co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 1, 2026
Has been a key figure in Illinois posting 19 wins the last two seasons, the winningest two-year run in school history. pic.twitter.com/r7J1W0c3A8
Notre Dame replaces Mike Mickens with Aaron Henry as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach
Henry found himself in a little bit of trouble early in the 2025 season as the Illini defense struggled. It righted the ship as the campaign went along, and he was expected to be back on the Illinois sidelines next fall.
Henry's defense had its best game of the 2025 season in the Illini's Music City Bowl victory over Tennessee, holding the Volunteers' offense, which ranked fourth in the nation in yards per game, to a season-low 278 total yards. Illinois held Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar to a career-low 121 passing yards, 53 fewer than any other game in his career, and snapped his streak of 36 straight games throwing for more than 200 yards.
Notre Dame has had one of the best secondaries in the country the last few years. Hopefully, Aaron Henry can pick up where Mike Mickens left off.