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Newsstand: Notre Dame coach Mike Mickens named to Cincinnati athletics hall of fame

Singer headshotby: Mike Singer08/08/25MikeTSinger
Mike Mickens
Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens. (Jeff Douglas, Inside ND Sports)

For the past several years, Mike Mickens has been an assistant coach at Notre Dame, leading a turnaround of the Irish’s defensive back room and transforming it from a weak point into one of the best units in the country on an annual basis.

He joined the Notre Dame staff after a couple of years working for the Cincinnati Bearcats, the school he played for from 2005 to 2008.

Mickens, a cornerback for the Bearcats, was a First Team FWAA All-American in 2008 and is Cincinnati’s career interception leader with 14. The 2009 NFL Draft selection by the Dallas Cowboys was a four-time All-BIG EAST selection, including First Team honors in 2007 and 2008.

He was named to the 2025 James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame Class earlier this week.

“This Hall of Fame class represents the very best of Bearcats athletics,” Cincinnati Director of Athletics John Cunningham said in a statement. “Tony Pike (another hall of fame induction) and Mike Mickens changed the trajectory of our football program and showed the country that Cincinnati could compete at the highest level.”

Mickens completed his fifth season with the Irish in 2024 and is heralded as one of the best defensive backs coaches in the nation. His unit garnered national recognition with the top-ranked pass efficiency defense in FBS (104.4) and multiple standout players, including captain and two-time consensus All-American S Xavier Watts; freshman All-American and FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year Leonard Moore; The Athletic Freshman All-American Adon Shuler; Orange Bowl Defensive MVP Christian Gray; and standout captain Benjamin Morrison.

Notre Dame tweets of the day

Quote of the day

“If you just watch Notre Dame, doesn’t matter who they’re playing, they’re probably going to win the toughness battle. These guys run and hit better than just about anybody in the entire country. It starts up front with their offensive line. Those guys are the tone setters.”

— ESPN analyst Greg McElroy on the Fighting Irish

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