Notre Dame 2025 Cornerback Class Could Be Best Under Mike Mickens
The cornerback position at Notre Dame has been on a tremendous, and exponential climb ever since Mike Mickens came to the program. With the 2024 class so close to signing day, a lot of attention has already been put on the 2025 recruiting class.
With the recent addition of 2025 Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy College Prep cornerback Cree Thomas, Coach Mickens is now on the board in 2025. The rest of the 2025 cornerback board has also started to figure itself out. Based on the early impact, this 2025 group could very well end up being the best of the Mickens Era.
Combine that with his abilities as a developer, cornerback has quickly gone from a massive question mark to a real strength of the roster. With more future growth, Notre Dame has a chance to put out a top cornerback growth each and every year.
TREMENDOUS START
With Notre Dame receiving a commitment from Thomas on Monday, that brings a tremendous baseline to the cornerback cycle in 2025. The Arizona native is a player that the Irish staff really focused on early on in this process. It is his smoothness, range, ball skills and versatility that really stuck out from the beginning.
When you speak to Thomas, it becomes even more apparent why the fit made so much sense. With him hailing from the same school as Benjamin Morrison, continuing that pipeline made a ton of sense. One of the biggest selling points about Thomas is he could potentially play outside cornerback, safety or nickelback on the next level.
The best part, Thomas is only the beginning. Notre Dame is in a tremendous spot with several other top cornerbacks on the board.
BOARD LOADED WITH TALENT
Here are the top players on the board currently. As of today, Notre Dame is hoping to add two cornerbacks to go along with Thomas in 2025. This is where things currently stand.
Dallas Golden - Tampa Bay (Fla.) Berkeley Prep
Things are in a great place with Golden. Notre Dame really made an impact with him when he visited for the Ohio State game. There aren’t many better overall athletes in the 2025 recruiting class overall and the Irish are pushing hard.
Mark Zackery - Indianapolis (Ind.) Ben Davis
Everything is also in a good spot with Zackery, who is an in-state star and big junior year breakout. He is an explosive kid, boasts good instincts, and has really improved his physicality as a junior. Ohio State is the main contender for Zackery right now.
Devin Williams - Buford (Ga.) High School
Williams visited Notre Dame for the Ohio State game this season. Everything has been trending well with the Georgia star, who is really buying into what Notre Dame is selling. He is slightly less likely than Golden and Zackery, but the Irish will have a chance if they push until the end. Williams brings an impressive outside-inside versatility to the table.
Kevyn Humes - Batimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy
The Humes’ recruitment has been a little bit strange so far. He had said nice things about Notre Dame early on, then there was a little bit of a break in momentum. Humes made it back to campus this season, which was the second time overall. Notre Dame is in a much better spot currently.
HOW IT COMPARES
Here are the first four recruiting classes under Coach Mickens. As you can see, the results have gradually gotten better and better.
2021 - PHILLIP RILEY, RYAN BARNES and CHANCE TUCKER
This three-man haul hasn’t transformed into a difference making one. Instead, you have two depth players and one player who is no longer with the program. At the time, this was a class built off of upside. Unfortunately, they didn’t quite hit it and have seen been passed up for more talented and younger players.
2022 - BENJAMIN MORRISON and JADEN MICKEY
This class already looks star studded. Morrison is an All American caliber cornerback and already the best in college football. Mickey had some struggles as a freshman but has shown tremendous growth as a sophomore. Expect him to take on an even bigger role as a junior.
2023 - CHRISTIAN GRAY and MICAH BELL
With Morrison and Cam Hart locking down the outside cornerback position in 2023, reps can be a little bit limited. Despite that, Gray has shown big time potential in the reps he has received, including a sick one handed interception against Pittsburgh. He looks like the next big thing once Hart leaves. Bell is redshirting this season but his big time speed and upside brings a great future potentially.
2024 - LEONARD MOORE and KARSON HOBBS
As prospects, the recruiting rankings are not going to excite you about this duo. Hobbs and Moore were players that the staff gravitated to early on in the process. Both possess the profile that every team wants at the cornerback position. If Coach Mickens develops them properly, each player has a chance to be very good.
Notre Dame will be pushing to close on two of the four players on the board. If they do, this has a chance to be Mickens’ best class in his tenure by a substantial margin. One, they would have hit on outstanding talent. In a hypothetical class where Notre Dame would land Thomas, Golden and Zackery, that is a deep and incredibly gifted class.
You also have the advantage of having three recruits in 2025. The only other class that would have that amount of “depth” is 2021, and 2025 would bring a significant upgrade in the combination of floors and ceilings.
Whether you are talking about the volume, or raw talent, the 2025 class has a chance to be special.
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