Top 2020 CB RJ Mickens Loved The Intensity At Notre Dame
2020 Southlake Carroll (Texas) cornerback RJ Mickens had already seen a game at Notre Dame, but after picking up an offer from the Irish last week, the four-star prospect wanted to get a closer look at the program.
Mickens made the trip up on Thursday to take in practice and to get a better feel for what the Irish had to offer him.
“It went well,” Mickens told Irish Sports Daily. “It was a great visit. I had a great time. It met my expectations. I had been up to Notre Dame before, but it was just a great visit.”
“I came up in October for the NC State with T.J. McDaniel. My dad didn’t come, so I had to show Notre Dame.”
Taking in practice was one of the highlights for Mickens. The competition and intensity Notre Dame practiced with stood out to the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder.
“It was pretty intense,” stated Mickens. “They did some 1-on-1’s, and I saw the defensive backs working on technique. Coach (Todd) Lyght is teaching them some really good things right now.
“They’ve been getting taught to compete with the ball and make plays on the ball. You could see they were really getting after the receivers. There were definitely some scuffles going on. It was a great practice.”
Mickens met with Lyght following practice, and it was a chance to really build a relationship with Notre Dame’s cornerbacks coach.
“Coach Lyght was telling me good stuff,” Mickens said. “He explained some facts about the school and some of the things he’s done. I got to know more about his background and his NFL career. He got a lot of accolades, so I know he knows what he’s talking about.”
The Texas native got to tour campus and do a photoshoot, but he also got to meet with head coach Brian Kelly.
“I got to meet with Coach Kelly, and it was great,” explained Mickens. “He was really straightforward about if you don’t like education, Notre Dame isn’t the place for you. He wants to make sure I’m taken care of with my education.
“He told me about the big alumni network, and that was great to hear.”
Mickens already holds over 20 offers from programs like Alabama, Clemson, Duke, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas A&M, UCLA and Wisconsin.
Notre Dame won’t be the last visit this spring as Mickens plans to visit some of the nation’s best in the coming months.
“I plan on getting to Arkansas, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma all in the next year,” stated Mickens.
The chance to show his father Notre Dame was important as his father, Ray, had been through the recruiting process himself and the trip to South Bend brought back a lot of memories for the former NFL great.
“Memories from the Stone Age,” laughed Mickens. “He liked all the tradition and the stuff with players that played when he was playing. All the All-Americans and the Heisman Trophies. He got to see all that stuff.”