Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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30 MAY 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Notre Dame cast a wide net with cornerback prospects in the 2022 class and was hoping to catch one of its big fish. It did on March 14 when Corona (Calif.) Centennial's Jaden Mickey picked the Fighting Irish. Mickey's final four schools were California, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Oregon. He went into a Zoom call on March 8 with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mar- cus Freeman and cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens without the intention to commit, but by the end of the call he informed the Irish staff that he wanted to give his verbal pledge. He publicly announced his decision six days later. "Notre Dame is Notre Dame," Mickey told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "There's great football and academ- ics there. After I was on the Zoom call with Coach Freeman, I knew he was a good coach because of what he did at Cincinnati. It was amazing. "I felt comfortable with him and Coach Mickens, and thought I can fit in there." The following day, Mickey hopped on a Zoom call with Brian Kelly to inform the Irish head coach of his decision as well. "They're one of the top schools in the country," Mickey added. "The tradition behind Notre Dame's name is great, and they have one of the big- gest alumni bases." Without special teams coordina- tor Brian Polian, the Irish may have never offered Mickey in the first place. Polian, who recruits the West Coast for Notre Dame, got into con- tact with Mickey early this year and offered the four-star prospect on Feb. 4. "I really appreciate Coach Polian," Mickey said. "We were in contact for about three weeks before he offered, and then we hopped on a few Zoom calls with me. He presented straight facts to me — no fluff. He talked about Notre Dame's academics and what it can do for you." The 6-0, 175-pounder feels that he'll fit in well in the Notre Dame defense. "They play a lot of man," Mickey noted. "It's about being aggressive and getting off a block to make a tackle. I feel like I can do that well. They play some zone, which I can do, too. I feel like I can fit in any defense, and this defense can really prepare me for the league." Mickey, who plans to enroll early, has big goals for his college career. "I want Notre Dame fans to know that I'm going to work to be the best cornerback in the country," Mickey stated. "I want to be the first corner to be picked No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft." Mickey is Notre Dame's first de- fensive back pledge of the 2022 class. Rivals ranks him as a four-star pros- pect, the No. 20 player in California and the nation's No. 35 cornerback. During his sophomore season in 2019, Mickey posted 31 tackles, one tackle for loss, six interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and five pass deflections. California did not have fall sports in 2020, but Mickey will have a shortened junior season this spring. Going into his spring season in 2021, MaxPreps listed Mickey as the No. 3 cornerback in California and as a preseason first-team All-State player, after he was named to the 2019 MaxPreps High School Sophomore All-American second-team defense. He has a tentative official visit date to check out Notre Dame for the first time on the weekend of June 25. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE JADEN MICKEY Notre Dame Kicks Off 2022 DB Class With Four-Star Californian Rivals ranks Mickey — pictured here with his mom, Nilka — as the No. 35 cornerback in the country. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER FILM ANALYSIS "Mickey has great vision, great closing speed and he does an excellent job compet- ing against bigger receivers for the ball when it's in the air. The only hesitation as to why he wasn't a four-star sooner is that he was lean during his sophomore year and probably weighed 155-160 pounds. "Since the pandemic, Mickey has hit the weight room hard and has developed physi- cally so that is no longer an issue. He's not going to be a big, physical cornerback who knocks people around, but he can run, can cover and has great vision. He plays with con- fidence on an island." — Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney "They're one of the top schools in the country. The tradition behind Notre Dame's name is great, and they have one of the biggest alumni bases." MICKEY