Notre Dame Football Freshman Forced To Step Up After Mickey Departs

After veteran defensive back Jaden Mickey opted to redshirt, where does that leave Notre Dame?

Notre Dame corner back Jaden Mickey addresses media after a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

In somewhat unexpected news, Notre Dame defensive back Jaden Mickey elected to redshirt this season and enter the transfer portal this upcoming offseason.

With Notre Dame football sitting at a 3-1 record, Mickey needed to decide this week if he wanted to redshirt and preserve a year of eligibility, with the NCAA rule allowing athletes to participate in four games without burning their redshirt season. The veteran corner elected to sit out the rest of the season, allowing himself to preserve a year and have plenty of eligibility at his next school.

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
Mark 9:23 @ballerselite @NmickNilka
🦋💜✝️ pic.twitter.com/A7eXAB0Z9o

— JadenMickey (@jadenmickey_) September 23, 2024

Mickey was the third corner in Notre Dame's defense behind All-American Benjamin Morrison and budding star Christian Gray, who beat out Mickey this spring for the corner position opposite Morrison.

Defensive backs rotate often and having a player with Mickey's level of experience and talent was a luxury for Notre Dame to have. It now shifts focus to true freshmen cornerback Leonard Moore, who has drawn rave reviews during camp and flashed during his playing time thus far this season.

Standing at 6-2, 191 lbs, Moore is a lengthy corner with great speed. He is a prototypical Mike Mickens cornerback and looks to be the next standout corner under Mickens tutelage at Notre Dame.

Moore will likely be called on early and often now through the rest of the season to take the snaps that Mickey has now turned down, on top of the snaps he was already earning for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore catches a ball during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

The increased role starts this week with Louisville coming to town, in what will be Moore's toughest test in a Notre Dame uniform so far in his brief Irish career. Of course, Morrison and Gray will play the majority of snaps but anticipate the Cardinals to throw at the true freshman Moore when he is inserted into the game for Notre Dame.

Will he rise to the challenge?

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