Quick-hitters: Notre Dame CB coach Mike Mickens on freshmen, TaRiq Bracy, Clarence Lewis

Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens knows his unit has a difficult task in the opener. Nobody shuts Ohio State’s wide receivers down. Rather, it’s a matter of how much a defense can limit their production. Mickens’ corners will play a crucial role in trying to do so Sept. 3.  

He has nine of them on the roster this year – three veteran returning contributors who each logged more than 400 snaps last year and six underclassmen. He has seen the entire unit push each other, whether that’s young players putting the heat on veterans, young players competing for a role or veterans battling for snaps.

“It’s healthy competition,” Mickens said. “Guys love each other. That’s why they can full-out compete. They each want each other to be better. When you get a room that’s coaching each other on the field as well, special things can happen.”

Mickens met with reporters Thursday for his lone press conference of fall camp. Here are some other topics he addressed.

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On freshman Benjamin Morrison

“He just kept his head down and went to compete. That’s our motto in the room and our motto on the team. Be competitive, competitive spirit. That’s what he did. He came and attacked summer workouts and attacked the playbook. He got on the field and keeps attacking each day.”

On freshman Jaden Mickey

“He’s just competitive. He goes to work every day. It’s not an up and down deal. He loves the game of football. He’s an energy provider who goes and works on his craft each day. When you know what you’ll get out of a player, you’ll love it.

“He’s very mature. He plays in his zone, doesn’t play out of his zone. That’s what you love about him. Each player is different. You want them to play in their zone, whatever that zone is, and let’s get it to the highest level we can get to.”

On sophomore Chance Tucker

“He’s just consistent. Comes to work each day. Doesn’t talk much, but he’s always in the right spot and understands you have to keep doing the little things. That’s what he does. He works extra at it and comes to me extra.”

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On what he wants in a boundary corner vs. field corner

“You’d like the longer boundary into the boundary and physicality more in the boundary because you have the run game happening faster that way. Cover skills, you want them both to be elite. You’re going to get more one-on-one matchups to the boundary and more space to the field.

“Field corner, you want to be great in space and see the whole picture. There’s a lot more going on with it. These guys have to know both and play both. The demand in the room is we’re going to be physical no matter what, and that’s why they can play both.”

On grad student TaRiq Bracy playing outside and slot corner

“He’s seen a lot of ball, grown a lot, has been through a lot here at Notre Dame. That has helped him a lot. He’s smart. He can pick up systems and understand different things we’re trying to do. We put a lot on his plate, and he can do it. A lot of people forget he played safety, nickel and corner in the Virginia Tech game [last year].”

On sophomore Ryan Barnes

“He’s doing a good job. He’s working each day, competing, coming in, trying to get better, understands what we want from him, being consistent each day. You can tell he keeps taking the next step forward.”

On junior Clarence Lewis

“He’s self-aware. He holds himself to the utmost standards. As a coach, I hold him to that as well. He’s aware of what game he had. Sometimes he has to go through growing pains. He was only a true sophomore at that time. Yeah, they beat us at the end of the year, but everybody has poor games sometimes. He’s fine. He doesn’t waver. That’s our deal, one play, one life. One game, one life. That doesn’t define who he is as a player. I have all the trust in the world in him.”