NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Notre Dame football assistant Max Bullough on linebacker Jaylen Sneed
Notre Dame football assistant coach Max Bullough raves about the physical transformation of fourth-year linebacker Jaylen Sneed this offseason.
Notre Dame football assistant coach Mike Mickens is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks.Mickens, who played cornerback in college and the NFL, has helped the Irish lead the nation in defensive pass efficiency the past two seasons.He is known for his ability to develop defensive backs and his “deny my man” coaching philosophy.
SOUTH BEND — Under different circumstances, Mike Mickens could have left in a huff.
Passed over as defensive coordinator for a more experienced hire in Chris Ash, Mickens returned for a sixth season as an assistant coach with Notre Dame football. Texas reportedly targeted Mickens as a prime candidate to coach its cornerbacks, but he opted to stay put.
At 37, Mickens remains the third-youngest coach on Marcus Freeman’s full-time staff. Freeman has said that Mickens, his former teammate at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, is ready to run his own defense.
“Marcus knows where my goals are,” Mickens said. “Just continue to work.”
When former Irish DC Al Golden collected the Broyles Award in mid-February as the top assistant coach at the FBS level, the new Cincinnati Bengals coordinator predicted on the dais that Mickens “is going to be invited here very soon.”
ESPN analyst and former NFL safety Ryan Clark, father of 2024 Irish starting nickelback Jordan Clark, endorsed Mickens on social media after Golden’s departure was announced.
“I can’t think of a more worthy successor than Mike Mickens,” Clark posted on his “X” account that has 492,000 followers. “I’m so grateful to both these men for the way they poured into (Jordan Clark).”
Friday morning…
Source link : https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/sports/college/football/2025/04/04/notre-dame-football-assistant-mike-mickens-keeps-pushing-himself-improve-marcus-freeman-chris-ash/82409804007/
Author :
Publish date : 2025-04-04 17:56:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
