Notre Dame Coach Mike Mickens Makes Strong First Impression

There’s an old saying that goes something like this, “First impressions last a lifetime.” If that holds true for Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens, he’s going to be a favorite of Fighting Irish fans for some time.

Mickens was hired in February, and he walked into a situation where Notre Dame needed a strong recruiting class at his position. He was on campus less than a month when the COVID-19 outbreak resulted in a dead period that still exists.

It was certainly not an ideal situation for Mickens, who had to build a connection with cornerbacks already on the board, and then scour the nation for new cornerbacks to add, and build a connection with them. All of this during a time when he could neither go on the road and recruit, nor could he get prospects on the Notre Dame campus.

None of that could slow Mickens down, and with the commitments of Philip Riley in May and now Ryan Barnes, the Irish have a strong cornerback tandem that meets the team’s numbers and talent needs at the position.

It was exactly the kind of haul Notre Dame needed.

TALENT IMPACT

From a national recruiting standpoint it’s a quality class. Riley is a consensus four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 214 overall player according to 247Sports. Barnes is a consensus three-star recruit, but his offer list is far more impressive than that.

Based on my analysis it’s better than that, and it’s a very strong cornerback haul. I graded both players out as four-star recruits, with both grading in the Top 150 caliber player ranking on my board. The film tells an impressive story for both prospects, as do their offer lists.

Notre Dame covets size at the cornerback position, and both players add plenty of that. Riley is listed at 6-0 and 190 pounds, while Barnes checks in at 6-2, and both have well above-average arm length. Riley is a powerful athlete that packs quite the punch, and Barnes is a long, smooth and fluid cover man.

VERSATILITY IS KEY

Landing two talented players is a key ingredient, but fitting into the scheme and being able to play together is important. Riley and Barnes fit well together, and that only adds to the importance of of landing this duo.

Riley could play all three cornerbacks spots in the Notre Dame defense. He can thrive in press looks and has the length to play to the boundary, His off-coverage skills, range, size and tackling ability also fits in quite nicely at the field cornerback position. Riley’s physicality fits well in the slot, where he can tackle, handle tight ends and run with slot receivers.

Barnes is also a versatile player, but it comes in a different skill set. The Quince Orchard standout is a more than willing tackler, but he’s not as strong and powerful as Riley. But his length and cover ability fits in well in the boundary position, and as he gets stronger his ability to play the run in the boundary will impress. Barnes has the range and ball skills to play to the field as well.

This level of versatility means both players are capable of moving around in order to get into the lineup. It also means Notre Dame can do more left/right instead of field/boundary if they so choose.

Both players were recruited to play cornerback, and both fit in quite nicely at cornerback, but both also have traits that could allow them to play safety should the need arise.

WHAT’S NEXT

Notre Dame could certainly take a third cornerback in this class, but there are seven cornerbacks set to return for 2021, and six of those players have eligibility al the way to 2023. Numbers were never the problem at cornerback, so shutting it down with just Riley and Barnes would also work for me.

Should Notre Dame decide to add a third cornerback there are players on the board the staff can now put the full court press on. But the addition of Barnes also gives Mickens the opportunity to start focusing on the 2022 class.

I don’t want to start putting too much pressure on Mickens too early, but after what he did in the last four months with so much working against him, it’s kind of exciting (from a Notre Dame standpoint) and scary (from a Notre Dame opponent standpoint) to think about what he will be able to do with a full year to recruit to the program.

It would also be wise to get Mickens involved with the safety recruits on the board, teaming him up with safeties coach Terry Joseph in order to make sure the staff can land impact talent at that position.

In fact, I would argue that if Notre Dame is going to take three at a secondary position it should be the safety position, not cornerback.

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