South Bend Tribune

Position breakdown: Depth biggest question mark for Notre Dame football cornerbacks

By Austin Hough, South Bend Tribune,

3 days ago

SOUTH BEND — There is little doubt which Notre Dame football cornerbacks will start the 2024 season opener at Texas A&M on Aug. 31.

All-American candidate Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey, both juniors, have all-but locked in starting jobs. The rotation after them, though, is a work in progress.

Morrison took the college football world by storm as a freshman in 2022, picking off six passes in the final five games he played, returning one of them 97 yards in a 35-14 win over Clemson. Teams knew not to throw Morrison’s way in 2023, but he still intercepted three passes while adding 10 pass deflections.

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Mickey backed up senior Cam Hart last year, but saw plenty of playing time. The Eastvale, California, native has appeared in 24 games in two seasons, running his lone career interception back for a 43-yard touchdown against Pittsburgh last fall.

Behind Morrison and Mickey, a litany of players could see action. A setback came early in fall camp when senior Marty Auer tore his ACL, sidelining him for the rest of the season. Sophomore Christian Gray is expected to be the third man on the depth chart after playing in 12 games last year as a freshman.

True freshmen Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs have flashed during drills in fall practices this month, putting them in position to see playing time when games roll around. Senior Chance Tucker has appeared in 10 total games, but has struggled at times during fall camp.

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