Analysis Of Notre Dame CB Coach Mike Mickens

My thoughts of the decision to hire Mike Mickens to coach cornerbacks at Notre Dame

Bryan Driskell | Feb 14, 2020

UC Athletics Communication

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has once again tapped into his coaching tree to fill a staff position. According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, Notre Dame will hire former Cincinnati cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens to replace Todd Lyght, who left the program in early January.

Kelly was the Cincinnati head coach from 2007-09, where he compiled a 34-6 record. Mickens played for Kelly in 2007 and 2008, and he finished his career with 14 interceptions, which is still the all-time record at Cincinnati.

In the podcast below I break down the hire of the 32-year old assistant coach and what it means for Notre Dame. It starts with a discussion about Kelly tapping into his "pipeline" once again. Listen to it for a full analysis.

Here's a look at the Mickens resume:

Playing Career: Cornerback at Cincinnati, 2005-08 (234 career tackles, 14 interceptions)

Coaching Career:

2011 - Cincinnati - Defensive Assistant
2012 - Indiana State - Defensive Assistant
2013 - Idaho - Cornerbacks
2014-17 - Bowling Green - Cornerbacks
2018-19 - Cincinnati - Cornerbacks

Coaching Highlights:

* Coached a pair of freshmen to All-Conference honors: Nick Johnson (Bowling Green) earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2014 and Ahmad Gardner (Cincinnati) earned first-team All-AAC honors in 2019.

* Gardner earned Freshman All-American honors (FWAA, The Athletic, PF) and third-team All-American honors (PFF) in 2019

* Three of the six FBS defenses Mickens has been a part of have finished in the top-15 nationally in interceptions.

* Cincinnati ranked 8th and 24th in scoring defense the last two seasons, and ranked 13th and 15th in pass efficiency defense.

Published Feb 14, 2020

BRYAN DRISKELL

Bryan Driskell is the publisher of Irish Breakdown and has been covering Notre Dame football for over a decade. A former college football player and coach, Bryan and Irish Breakdown bring a level of expertise and analysis that is unmatched. From providing in depth looks at the Fighting Irish, breaking news stories and honest recruiting analysis, Irish Breakdown has everything Notre Dame football fans want and need. Bryan was previous a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated before launching Irish Breakdown. He coached college football at Duquesne University, Muhlenberg College, Christopher Newport University, Wittenberg University and Defiance College. During his coaching career he was a pass game coordinator, recruiting coordinator, quarterbacks coach, running backs coach and wide receivers coach. Bryan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Salisbury University, where he played quarterback for the Sea Gulls. You can email Bryan at bryan@irishbreakdown.com. Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Follow Bryan on Twitter: @CoachD178Like and follow Irish Breakdown on FacebookSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channelSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter