Jesse Minter has been the Ravens’ coach for less than a week, and he’s set to make his most important hire. According to Blue & Gold, Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens will depart South Bend and join Minter’s staff in Baltimore.
On one hand, this is a great opportunity for Mickens in advancing his career, but on the other, it’s a major loss for the Fighting Irish, as the Dayton, Ohio, native turned Notre Dame’s defensive back room from a weakness to strength.
He joined Notre Dame’s staff as cornerbacks coach in 2020 under then-head coach Brian Kelly, who he played the latter paft of his career for at Cincinnati. The next winter, his former high school teammate at Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne, Marcus Freeman, joined him in South Bend as defensive coordinator. Freeman became Notre Dame’s head coach after the 2021 season, and Mickens has been a key part of Freeman’s staff since.
Mickens was Notre Dame’s defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator for the past two seasons. Prior to the 2024 season, he had just been the Irish’s cornerbacks coach.
He was a first-team All-American in 2007 and second-team All-American in 2008. Mickens was a first-team All-Big East performer in 2007 and three-time second-team All-Big East selection (2005, 2006 and 2008).
Minter was a defensive grad assistant with the Bearcats when Mickens played for Cincinnati. He later hired Mickens as a defensive assistant in 2012, when Minter was Indiana State’s defensive coordinator.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens to hire Notre Dame DB coach Mike Mickens
