Ex-Irish Star Leads Boise State into Notre Dame Stadium in Special Moment

Notre Dame (2-2) is playing host to Boise State (3-1) for the first time in program history on Saturday and a former Fighting Irish fan favorite has made his return after entering the transfer portal almost exactly a year ago.

Jaden Mickey, a former Notre Dame cornerback, announced his decision to enter the transfer portal last season the week of the Louisville game. He intially enrolled at California, but after his position coach left, he entered the portal again, ending up at Boise State.

Mickey was a fan-favorite during his time at Notre Dame because of the obstacles he overcame. During his time with the Irish, his mother battled colon cancer, eventually losing her life to it right after Christmas in 2023. Despite that, Mickey decided to play in the Sun Bowl for Notre Dame against Oregon State, which came just a day after her passing.

On Saturday, Mickey was one of the Boise State players chosen to lead the team onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium, as he carried a United States flag ahead of the Broncos team. He also took time before the game to check in with a few of his former coaches in Ron Powlus and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens.

Today's 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀

🇺🇸 Jaden Mickey
🔵 Matt Wagner#BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/efnlkkunXd
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) October 4, 2025

Marcus Freeman Speaks About Jaden Mickey

Marcus Freeman spoke about the former Fighting Irish cornerback earlier in the week. Freeman reflected on being in Mickey's life at a very difficult time for the young man and noting that just because he chose to play elsewhere, that the relationship didn't simply end.

Mickey suffered a concussion in Boise State's game last week and is unavailable to play Saturday. Freeman began his commentary on Mickey by focusing on that.

“I would tell you the same thing I would tell (Broncos coach) Spencer Danielson: I love that guy,” Freeman said of Mickey, who left the field on a stretcher after a head injury on Saturday night. “You never want to see anybody get hurt, but (especially) somebody you truly care about.”

Former Notre Dame CB Jaden Mickey met with football deputy athletic director Ron Powlus and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens before today’s game.

Mickey played for the Irish for three years before transferring.

📸 @ByKyleKelly https://t.co/5EGXnDD7Me pic.twitter.com/5sncGCFXki
— BlueandGold.com (@BGInews) October 4, 2025

“These guys … they’re not cars,” Freeman said. “You don’t rent them for a couple years and then, when they leave, that’s it, right? ‘That’s it. You sold it, and it’s done.’

“These are relationships that last forever. You invest into these young people, and for the rest of our lives we’re going to have a relationship, just like you would with every one of your players.”