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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Notre Dame cornerback Jaden Mickey, who appeared in the team’s first four games, will redshirt the rest of the season and plans to enter the transfer portal.
Coach Marcus Freeman met with Mickey, who had been listed as the backup to starting cornerback Christian Gray, following Saturday’s game against Miami (Ohio). By appearing in only four games, Mickey can redshirt and retain two years of eligibility at his next school.
“Everybody’s going to have an opinion, myself included, but it’s not our opinion that really matters,” Freeman said. “Jaden Mickey made a decision that he felt was best for him, so for me to do anything other than support him, is selfish. I’m not in his shoes, I don’t know what’s going on in his life. This is what he said is best for him and his future.”
Freeman called Mickey “a great young man who has been through a lot.”
Mickey lost his mother to cancer shortly before Notre Dame played in the Sun Bowl.
He started two games in 2023 and one in 2022 as part of Notre Dame’s cornerback rotation, recording three tackles and a pass breakup this season. The California native was an ESPN 300 recruit in 2022.
The 16th-ranked Irish will be without backup tight end Cooper Flanagan, who has a left ankle injury, for Saturday’s game against No. 15 Louisville. Defensive end Joshua Burnham (ankle) is questionable after missing the team’s past two games.