Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 11, 2025 17 [Mike] Mickens does, too. So, we went back to the drawing board." And made the most of his time as a starter, which likely will lead to sig- nificant time as a reserve when Moore comes back into the lineup. Through Notre Dame's first four games and heading into the Oct. 4 matchup with Boise State, Zackery was one of nine Irish true freshmen to see game action this season, and he had by far the most snaps logged among them with 127. "We've got a lot of trust in him," Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said at a Sept. 29 press conference, ahead of the Boise State game. "And whenever Leonard gets back, we have confidence that now Mark can spell Leonard and Christian [Gray]. "We need that. You're not really com- fortable with just two corners — not with college football right now. We've got to have a third guy that we feel like can roll in and help." What was Zackery's biggest takeaway from his unexpectedly heavy use early in the season? "They're going to come at me," he said. "I've just got to buckle up. It's time to grow up. I'm not a freshman any- more. Leonard told me that. He was like in his first game, Louisville [in 2024], he didn't have a great game, got two balls caught over his head. "So, I just had to know they're going to come at me every time. I'm just hav- ing to strap in and just be prepared and mentally prepared. And [know] what splits they're running when they're running a deep route, when they're run- ning a dig, when they're running a — whatever route it is. Just knowing the down, the distance and the splits and the situation, where you're being put in a situation. So, I feel like that's where I've grown the most." And Freeman, Mickens and defensive coordinator Chris Ash can live with the growing pains, knowing how Zackery processes them. "What I've learned is that he is not a blamer," Freeman said. "He doesn't point fingers. He wants to be coached. He wants to improve. We knew he had tal- ent, but sometimes in failure, you learn about a guy. Is he a competitive indi- vidual who wants to take ownership and does he say, 'How do I make this better?' Or is he an 'Ain't my fault' type of guy? "I knew that, just because I know his parents. I knew the way he was raised, but that's what he's done. He's owned the issues just like his coach has, just like we all have. He's really been inten- tional about the work in practice and understanding that we've got to treat practice … like a game." Zackery, the son of a former college defensive lineman (Ball State alum Mark Zackery III), is used to facing older and more experienced players. First at age 3, when he took up basketball, and since age 6 when competitive football became part of his world. And at a high school with the sec- ond-largest enrollment in the state of Indiana (more than 4,500 students), Zackery managed to crack the starting lineup as a freshman wide receiver and cornerback. "I kind of got used to playing with older guys and used to being thrown into the fire," Zackery said. "So, just be- ing blessed to be in that position and constantly going at it. I feel like that's helped me a lot." In basketball, he helped Ben Davis to a state title as a sophomore, as the start- ing point guard, but missed most of his senior season with a thumb injury. "Basketball helped my football," Zackery said. "I had to guard the best player on [the other team]. That has al- ways been my mindset — just locking up the best player and using that mindset that [Mickens] preaches all the time. "So, just playing fast, being violent is his creed. Just going by that in whatever I do, and obviously basketball helped me with that." And basketball, even in a more casual setting, will continue to enable him and maybe even help him exact some re- venge. Zackery already knows who the top hoops players are on the team, and one of them is Micah Gilbert, who pro- vided the freshman with his "welcome to college" moment on the football field this summer. "I've heard JG [ Jaden Greathouse] is good," Zackery said. "Tae Tae [Tae Johnson] knows what it is. Micah, I heard Micah's pretty good, too. So, they know. And they know where they can find me." ✦ "They're going to come at me. I've just got to buckle up. It's time to grow up. I'm not a freshman anymore." ZACKERY Through Notre Dame's first four games, Zackery was one of nine Irish true fresh- men to see game action this season, and he had by far the most snaps logged among them with 127. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER