Notre Dame Football

Notre Dame, Mickens Breed Healthy Culture Amidst Competition

By Andrew Mentock

August 26, 2022

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Perhaps more than any other position in football, cornerback requires a competitive edge and unshakable confidence.

At Notre Dame, their dominating mindsets must be set throughout the offseason, but especially in fall camp, which is where the team forms its identity.

“We want to win everything. If you’re competing, you’ve got to win,” said Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens. “That’s our mindset. I call it, ‘Deny my man.’ So our room gets the job done, however, we can. You’ve got to win in one-on-one and on eleven, do our deal.”

To set such a tone, the same competitive spirit is required of the man leading the group.

“[Coach Mickens] is a great guy, he can definitely turn up sometimes,” said sophomore corner Chance Tucker. “That’s the sign of a good coach. He lives by competing and lives by playing fast, being violent and giving a good effort. We’re all about taking that in.”

Throughout August, they’ve battled against Notre Dame’s wide receivers, dealing with Braden Lenzy’s speed, Lorenzo Styles trash talk and the size and strength of Deion Colzie, Jayden Thomas and Tobias Merriweather.

“I’ve always lived by that. I feel iron sharpens iron,” said sophomore corner Chance Tucker. “We’re always competing. We have the best players in the country so we’re always going to be competing.”

The cornerbacks are also competing against one another, fighting for spots at field and boundary corner, as well as at nickel.

In other programs, competition and the arrival of new players can create rifts within a position group or defense.

“I've heard stories from other schools where guys aren't welcomed,” said sophomore Ryan Barnes, who’s taken on more of a leadership role this year. “They're treated disrespectfully just because they're new. When I got here, I didn't feel that at all, especially with the corners here. We're all really close, we hang out all the time.

“I want to be that kind of role model for the new guys coming in and moving forward.”

From an overall leadership perspective, Mickens expects experienced veterans like Clarence Lewis, Cam Hart and TaRiq Bracy to take charge.

“That’s their job, their responsibility,” Mickens said. “They have snaps under their belt, so they’ve got to be able to help the younger guys. It’s great when you can have the guys hang out off the field.”

After practice on Thursday, Mickens said he hopes Hart and Lewis, can rotate off the field more often this season. Both were among the leaders in defensive snaps played in 2021.

For that to happen, younger players must step up and push one another.

“It’s healthy. Guys love each other,” Mickens said. “They want each other to be better from it. When you get a room coaching each other on the field as well, special things can happen.”

Don’t Forget About Barnes, Tucker

With the rival of freshman standout Jaden Mickey and the return of Bracy, Hart and Lewis, it can be easy to overlook sophomore cornerbacks Ryan Barnes and Chance Tucker on the depth chart.

Yet both appear ready to contribute, even if their roles in 2022 may be less significant compared to others.

At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Barnes has excellent size and he uses it to his advantage.

“He’s physical,” Mickens said. “He goes after the ball when it’s in the air. His length can smother you on the sideline when you have him there.”

During fall camp, Barnes has crossed trained a bit at safety, but it sounds as if that’s more so due to a lack of backend depth than anything else. Notre Dame wants to be prepared in case injuries occur there this season or in the future.

At corner, Mickens seems pleased with the sophomore’s on-the-field progress.

“He’s working at it each day, competing, coming in, trying to get better, understanding what we want from him and being consistent each day,” Micken said. “You can tell he keeps taking that step forward.”

Tucker also flashed throughout the offseason and is ready to play an on-the-field role this season.

“I don't know about why he wasn’t playing and stuff, but he's a baller, too,” Bracy said. “We love Chance. We know what he brings to the table. We need everybody in the cornerback room to contribute and help this team out in some ways.”

According to Mickens, Tucker’s biggest strengths are his ability to be consistent day-to-day and his willingness to just put his head down and work.

“He’s just consistent, comes to work each day as well,” Mickens said. “Doesn’t talk much but he’s always in the right spot. He understands you have to keep doing the little things, and that’s what he does. He works extra at it, comes up to me extra. He just wants to be great.

Heading into their second Notre Dame seasons, both Tucker and Barnes rave about their position coach and how he’s served as a catalyst in how well they’ve developed.

“Coach Mickens comes in every day with the same energy, the same attitude, and wants to get us better,” Barnes said. “It's great having a guy like him on the field, off the field, as a coach and just in general. I feel like he's gonna be able to do a lot for us, and he's already done a lot for me and in my development.

“From what I've gotten here to where it is now is off the charts. I have nothing but great things to say about Coach Mickens.”