Inside the Recruiting Mind of Mike Mickens

Notre Dame secondary coach Mike Mickens has quickly turned into one of the hottest assistant coaches in the country. 

The former Cincinnati star turned a historically weak position for the Irish into one of the nation’s strongest units, even with a lack of depth at times.

Notre Dame finished the year with the No. 1 rank in pass efficiency defense and that was without All-American Benjamin Morrison for most of the year. 

How has Mickens done it?

The former first-team All-American played the position in college and Mickens has developed one of the best eyes for cornerback talent regardless of rankings. One can easily point to Sauce Gardner, Benjamin Morrison, and Leonard Moore as high-level proof of his ability to identify talent. 

Mickens, like many coaches, has a specific process he uses to find talent that can not only play at Notre Dame, but become NFL Draft picks. 

“I like to see how they physically move and how their feet are,” said Mickens. “Are they good open-field tacklers? What’s their range? The physicality part is in there. That’s where I really start as far as physical. 

“Do they play any other sports? Are they basketball players? Do they run track? I want to get an idea of the athletic ability and makeup. From there, it goes to the mental part of the game.” 

Notre Dame is now in a position where Mickens can be selective about who he recruits. Mickens isn’t offering 20-30 cornerbacks a cycle, so it’s noteworthy when an offer goes out.

And yes, there has to be a fit athletically, but also in terms of fitting into the culture of Notre Dame and the room he’s worked tirelessly to develop. 

“It’s more about what fits Notre Dame and fits our room or what we want in our room,” stated Mickens. “It’s more being picky in that way than athletic ability. If you’re an athlete, you’re an athlete. Are you an athlete who can thrive in our room?” 

2025 signee Dallas Golden and sophomore cornerback Christian Gray are two strong examples of Mickens following through on his process. 

Gray and Golden are two very different athletes and have had high-profile recruitments, so it’s far from finding a skinny Gardner off the beaten path. 

Yet, Mickens put an emphasis on both prospects over several other elite prospects because they checked the necessary boxes he’s created in his evaluation process. 

“They are both freak athletes,” Mickens stated.” You turn on Dallas’ film and he’s doing everything. He’s a running back, safety, cornerback and receiver. He can play it all. It speaks volumes to his athletic ability and his football knowledge because he can play multiple positions and be effective at all of them. 

“Christian is wirey. He got into camp and we knew how special he was from the jump. He has coverage ability and he ran track when he was in high school. Two different players, but very athletic.” 

Mickens added the tag of secondary coach last year when Chris O’Leary left for the NFL. The evaluation process doesn’t change too much from a baseline standpoint. 

There are various points of emphasis athletically and mentally, given it’s a different position, but Mickens is still looking for a specific fit. 

“It’s the same process,” said Mickens. “You want them to be able to fit in the box more. Do they have the range to get to the deep half and deep post? Football IQ is important because they have more on their plate with run fits and rotations. You want to see their mental makeup. Are they vocal leaders?  Leadership is important.”

Marcus Freeman has stressed the importance of live evaluations to Notre Dame’s recruiting process. Mickens echoes the sentiment as school workouts or camps are crucial to figuring out who can or can’t check the boxes athletically. 

“You see one thing on film, but then gain clarification when you see it live,” said Mickens. “It’s no different than the combine with the NFL guys.

“When you see how hard they work when they’re on the field, or it might be a movement that didn’t show up in their film. You can see that. That’s why live is important. The best evaluation to me is always live.” 

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