Notre Dame Well-Equipped to Replace Benjamin Morrison

With Benjamin Morrison sidelined, Notre Dame’s cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens has the Irish prepared to step up and fill the void in the secondary.

Louisville wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks (1) catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown with Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore (15) defending during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There’s no sugarcoating it; losing star cornerback Benjamin Morrison is a significant blow for Notre Dame. The strength of this Irish football team lies in its defense, which boasts one of the best secondaries in college football.

The nation's 11th ranked defense is now down three of its best players for the season in Jordan Botelho, Boubacar Traore, and the aforementioned Morrison - a tall task for any defense to recover from.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. This defense, particularly the unit led by Mike Mickens, is well-equipped to handle the loss of even its best player. The Notre Dame coaching staff will also receive an extended look at their projected starting cornerback duo in 2025 with at least seven more games left to play.

Brutal news for Notre Dame.

Benjamin Morrison suffered a hip injury against Stanford. Requires surgery and he will be out for the year.

— Nick Shepkowski (@NickShepkowski) October 14, 2024

Key Transfers and Rookies Tasked at Filling Big Shoes

Notre Dame welcomed two key transfers in the offseason: Rod Heard II and Jordan Clark. Both players bring significant experience and depth to the Irish secondary, and they will now be called upon to help fill the void left by their best player and leader.

Clark has been a tremendous asset for Notre Dame this season as the starting nickel corner, while Heard has excelled in his role at safety.

With Heard’s experience at cornerback as well, it will be interesting to see how Marcus Freeman and Mike Mickens choose to deploy the secondary moving forward. The loss of Morrison, along with Jaden Mickey’s redshirt status and potential transfer, underscores the importance of having depth.

Ironically, Leonard Moore already played a full game as the starting corner against the best receivers/passing game Notre Dame will see this season, short of USC. Definitely been tested and will play his natural boundary spot. Sneak peak at next seasons starting duo.

— Greg Flammang (@greg2126) October 14, 2024

The Irish also have Leonard Moore at their disposal, an ultra-talented freshman who has already made one start against Louisville. He has also drawn comparison to Sauce Gardner from Mike Mickens, the coach who recruited Gardner, and was hyped by Benjamin Morrison. His exact words were, "This might be a stretch, but Leonard Moore will be better than I will be here. He's a special kid."

Obviously, Moore is just a true freshman and he has huge shoes to fill. Growing pains should be expected. Fellow freshman Karson Hobbs will also step into a backup role and is likely to see increased playing time, especially in games that are well in hand during the second half.

Mike Mickens Recruiting Chops Put into Action

Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens deserves the praise he receives, thanks to his impressive track record as both a coach and recruiter that dates back to his time at Cincinnati. He has brought that success to Notre Dame but now faces his toughest challenge yet.

In addition to taking on more responsibilities by coaching the entire secondary instead of just the corners, he has lost his best player in Morrison and a key backup in Mickey.

Sophomore Christian Gray, who was highly regarded in 2023, similar to Leonard Moore in 2024, beat out Mickey in fall camp for the second corner position opposite Morrison.

However, Gray has faced his own setbacks this season, missing the Louisville game due to a shoulder injury. Now, he finds himself as the most experienced outside corner in the room.

The outside corners now listed on the depth chart alongside Gray are the two freshmen, Moore and Hobbs. Hobbs is designated as the backup at all three corner positions: field, boundary, and nickel.

While this is not an ideal situation for Notre Dame, and Morrison cannot simply be replaced, the Irish defense and secondary are well-equipped to manage this loss. There is no reason they shouldn't maintain a playoff-caliber defense in the second half of the season.