Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 18, 2023 17 Morrison with superb coverage skills. But he teaches them how to read routes, how to read an offense before the snap and more. "Like forma- tions, with know- ing the quarter- b a c k , k n ow i n g the wide receivers, studying the wide receivers," Gray said. "Just getting better mentally. He knows I'm gonna get bet- ter physically and everything, but men- tally he helps me with that. Knowing the playbook, that's the big factor." Gray being ready to play when his number was called against Pitt, Golden said, is a credit to Mickens. "What's maybe under the radar is just how Mick brought him along," Golden said. "I think Mick has done a great job bringing that kid along to when his op- portunity hit, he was ready." As defensive passing game coordina- tor this season, Mickens, as Golden put it, spearheads the game plan against op- posing passing attacks. He's in charge of early down pass defense, while he and safeties coach Chris O'Leary team up on third downs. Golden and Freeman both stressed that game planning and play calling is a collaborative effort, led by Golden, his assistants and analysts like senior defen- sive analyst Ronnie Regula. Regula gives Golden the offense's personnel grouping so he can formulate a play call in games. Mickens, however, stands out with his schematic acumen. Golden, who did not know Mickens before he arrived at Notre Dame ("I didn't know anybody," Golden said, laughing), wholeheartedly agrees with Freeman that he's ready to be a defensive coordinator. "As far as the schematics, he's a great, brilliant mind," Freeman said. "I just think he's really grown as a coach, and he wants to learn," Golden said. Despite all the positive traits in re- cruiting, player development and pass defense scheming, Freeman still believes Mickens' player evaluation is one of his best traits. Which is why he keeps bring- ing up the Gardner story, about a player he and Mickens knew right away, when Gardner got to campus, was special. "The same thing goes for the guys in this room now," Freeman said. ✦ "I absolutely think Mike Mickens is ready to be a defensive coordinator. He is a tremendous football coach." NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH MARCUS FREEMAN