Notre Dame Freshmen Jaden Mickey & Benjamin Morrison Impressing Peers
Cornerback depth has been hard to come by at Notre Dame over the last few years, but the Fighting Irish seem to be turning a corner.
TaRiq Bracy, Cam Hart and Clarence Lewis will lead the Notre Dame cornerback group in 2022 as all three are battled tested and bring a wealth of experience to the Irish secondary.
Yet, all three arrived in South Bend with little or no experience playing cornerback.
Irish cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens is changing that dynamic as he's brought in back-to-back classes of cornerbacks, including freshman Jaden Mickey and Benjamin Morrison, who have already turned heads.
"I love those guys," stated Notre Dame safety Houston Griffith. "Mickey, we really got to see a glimpse of him in the spring being an early enrollee. I didn't even know, but he's 17 years old coming in here and I'm 22. I'm looking at him making plays and he's out there talking stuff. It's good to see that.
"Ben came in and he was asking me questions about how it was going to go. He came in here and was making plays. The questions he asked, he was able to go and perform. They're going to be the future of this program in the coming years."
Mickey did get a headstart on his college career as he enrolled in January, but his ascension has come from doing the extra things. The California native has embraced extra film meetings, walk-throughs and asking Bracy questions about the nickel position.
Due to his commitment to enhancing his game mentally and physically, Mickey will play in 2022.
"I didn't really have too many crazy expectations coming in,” said Mickey. “It was putting my head down and work to see where it takes me."
The ability to make plays might impress Griffith, but veteran safety DJ Brown has also been impressed with the freshmen duo. Brown felt both players were mentally sharp, which has allowed them to make plays early as they know what they’re doing on the practice field.
“Just how fast they've been able to pick the defense, calls and then execute on the field,” Brown said when asked what Mickey and Morrison have done to impress him. “You can know what to do in the film room, but doing it on the field is a lot different, so I'm really impressed with them."
Notre Dame’s veterans have been impressed with the youngsters in several areas, but the one that might stand out the most is confidence.
It’s not easy to adjust and learn the college game, yet both players have and done it with a confidence that has blown away All-American safety Brandon Joseph.
“They are very confident young players,” explained Joseph. “Coming into college football as a corner, it can be intimidating because you're on an island all the time and at risk of being exposed.
"They both came in with extreme confidence and it's taken their game to the next level. It's usually something that takes time to develop. It took me time to develop my confidence playing at this level. The way they came in, they're going to be great young players."
There is one difference. Mickey isn’t afraid to get into a jawing match with his opponent. Notre Dame fans know Mickey hasn’t been afraid to express his mind dating back to the end of the 2022 recruiting cycle, but it’s just another area where the Notre Dame freshman is different than most.
“I love Mickey's trash talk, it's hilarious to watch,” Irish cornerback Ryan Barnes stated. “It's awesome to watch. Him going back and forth with Coach (Tommy) Rees is probably one of the highlights of my day.
“The sense of competition is so great here that even the coaches are involved in it. It's tame, it's nothing crazy. But the ability to have offense versus defense and have that sense of competition is what's going to really get us ready for the season. I feel like as long as we continue to do that, I don't think anybody can touch us.”
Mickey doesn’t hide from his trash-talking as it’s part of his game.
“That’s just who I am as a competitor,” Mickey stated. “I always want to win and when I get man or even when I’m out there just having fun, I want to assert my dominance.”
Morrison is fine being the quiet one as he feels it’s a solid balance.
“We’re a good little duo because he’s loud and I’m quiet,” Morrison said. “We come together pretty well. He’s going to be the one talking. I’ll be right behind him cheering him on, hyping him up. But no, he’s just taught me the competitive spirit. He’s brought out in me – I mean he and I will come in here by ourselves some days over the summer.
“Just seeing the way he works and stuff, he’s made my game better. I hope I do the same for him as well.”
Both freshmen also made the call to head to the Midwest for college over staying on the West Coast. It was a business decision as both wanted to get better.
Morrison quickly found out life was different at Notre Dame in his first workout with Matt Balis, but he also realized that’s why he chose the Fighting Irish.
“Balis at first is very intimidating, but once you get to know him, he’s a really good guy,” explained Morrison. “All he wants is the best for you. So, even though you’re waking up at 6 a.m. doing the hardest workouts you’ve ever done, you’ve got to do it in order to be the best.
“This program is built by Balis, so it’s awesome.”
And there are no regrets from Mickey as it relates to his decision eight months into his college career.
“My whole thing is weather doesn’t make you money. Weather doesn’t get you where you want to go. At the end of the day, what we do in here, what we do in the weight room and the classroom, that’s what gets us where we want to go.
“I had mentors preach to me don’t look for comfort and it’s kind of cool because Coach Freeman has now impressed upon us all the same thing. Don’t look for comfort. So going across the country wasn’t too big of a deal for me.”
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