SOUTH BEND — Junior cornerback Jaden Mickey, who played through grief to help Notre Dame football win the 2023 Sun Bowl hours after his mother’s death, announced Monday his intention to enter the transfer portal when it opens in December.
Mickey, who lost a training camp battle with Christian Gray for the starting job at field corner, played 82 defensive snaps in a reserve role through the first four games. The 6-foot, 178-pound Mickey will redshirt and enter the portal with two years of remaining eligibility.
A product of Eastvale, Calif., Mickey plans to complete work toward his Notre Dame degree in the spring.
“Coaches, teammates, staff members and supporters: I can’t put into words how grateful I am for how you have loved me and my family,” Mickey posted on his X social media account. “Every up and down was worth it and all that my younger self could have asked for. … This isn’t risk, this is faith!”
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Nilka Mickey, 57, died Dec. 28 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Hours after her passing, her son made his third career start for the Irish.
Mickey played 26 snaps on defense, plus another 11 on special teams, in the 40-8 win over Oregon State. His only career interception was a 43-yard return for a touchdown in a 58-7 win over Pittsburgh at Notre Dame Stadium last October.
Honoring Nilka Mickey’s memory
Notre Dame players and extended family wore commemorative T-shirts to the Blue-Gold Game in April to honor Nilka Mickey’s memory. The shirts were purple (Nilka Mickey’s favorite color) and included a Bible verse (Romans 15:13).
Along with his father, former Weber State cornerback Lamar Mickey, Mickey and his family were featured in an episode of “Here Come the Irish” when the in-house documentary debuted on Aug. 29 on Peacock.
“Everybody is going to have an opinion, myself included,” Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman said. “But it’s not our opinion that really matters. Jaden Mickey made a decision that he felt was best for him, so for me to do anything other than support him is selfish.
“I’m not in his shoes. I don’t know what’s going on in his life. This is what he said is best for him and his future. It would be selfish of me to have selfish thoughts or opinions about the decision he’s making. I wish him the best of luck. I love him. He’s a great young man who’s been through a lot.”
A four-star signee from Centennial High School, Mickey was a midyear enrollee in January 2022 who bided his time for two years behind team captain Cam Hart. As classmate Benjamin Morrison blossomed into an All-America candidate and team captain at boundary corner, Mickey played mostly in a reserve role and on special teams.
“He’ll go and do great things,” Freeman said. “But it’s not our position or anybody else’s to make an opinion about what type of decision Jaden Mickey made. It’s a decision that he wanted to make for him, and I support him in his next endeavors.”
With Mickey’s departure, freshman cornerbacks Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs figure to see increased roles. Moore played 50 combined defensive snaps off the bench the past two games against Purdue and Miami (Ohio), three more than Mickey.
Hobbs, who played 14 snaps in the blowout at Purdue but just one against Miami (Ohio), has been working in a slot coverage role behind Arizona State grad transfer Jordan Clark.
Both Moore and Hobbs were June enrollees.
“Those two guys are definitely capable of getting the job done,” Freeman said. “I still feel strongly about the depth of the cornerbacks’ room. (Northwestern grad transfer) Rod Heard II has played corner before, Jordan Clark has played corner. If injuries occur in the future, we have plans, but we think the depth in that room right now just gives an opportunity for those younger guys to play some more.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football cornerback Jaden Mickey plans to transfer
