The Notre Dame football team is officially on the hunt for a new defensive backs coach after the departure of Mike Mickens to the Baltimore Ravens. By most accounts, Marcus Freeman will take his time and make the right hire; however, it's likely the search is already underway. Who should be at the top of the list, and who might be someone the Fighting Irish should avoid unless they don't have any other choice?
Power ranking defensive backs coach candidates for Notre Dame after Mike Mickens' departure
1. Jimmy Lake
Jimmy Lake is a veteran who has been a defensive back, defensive coordinator, and even head coach for the Washington Huskies. In 2024, he was the DC for the Atlanta Falcons and just finished a season as a defensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams. Mickens was co-defensive coordinator as well as DBs coach with Chris Ash. Lake could step into that role with ease and might be open to returning to college for a program like Notre Dame.
2. Jeff Burris
Jeff Burris played cornerback for Notre Dame from 1990 93 and was a first-round pick in 1994. In his coaching career, he was the cornerbacks coach at UMass in 2012 and served as an analyst for Notre Dame in 2016. Most recently, he was the cornerbacks coach for the New York Giants, but he wasn't retained when John Harbaugh took over as head coach. That means Burris is looking for a job, and the Fighting Irish should think about a reunion.
3. Robert Steeples
Notre Dame has tended to make hires of coaches who have relationships with members of the current staff. Steeples knows offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock from their days at LSU, as he was there in 2022 and 2023. He then spent two years as a defensive analyst for Iowa State and was hired by Wisconsin as their DBs coach this year. That might make him unavailable, but if Notre Dame offered a raise and a title bump ...
4. Jahmile Addae
Like Lake, Addae has spent the last few years as a defensive back coach in the NFL. He served with the Buffalo Bills, but could be looking for a new job with the staff turnover there this winter. He's also got extensive experience in the college ranks before the Bills; he spent two years with the Miami Hurricanes and one year before that with Georgia.