Notre Dame football is set to make a strong push for an elite defensive back even after the unfortunate news about Mike Mickens
Even without Mike Mickens, the show must go on for the Notre Dame football program.
Notre Dame football received some very disappointing news over the weekend when it was announced that secondary coach Mike Mickens was departing to take a position with the Baltimore Ravens. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish must now attempt to replace arguably the best defensive back coach in all of college football. That task isn’t going to be an easy one.
Despite the loss of Mickens, the show must go on for the Notre Dame program. Even without a defensive back coach on staff, the team decided to extend an offer to an elite cornerback in the 2028 recruiting class. With the Irish staff on the road, they ended up offering elite 2028 Miami (Fla.) Columbus athlete A’mir Sears. The Florida native is one of the very best playmakers in the country, regardless of class.
Everyone and their mother is going to be pursuing Sears, who could end up being the top overall player in the 2028 class. As a staff, Notre Dame can lean on the fact that Sears has the upside to play on either offense or defense. While cornerback is the position that Sears most likely ends up at, he is a dynamic athlete who can do a lot of different things. Regardless, the Florida standout is a player that the Irish have their eyes on closely, albeit very early on in the recruiting process.
A’mir Sears recruiting background
Sears is considered to be an elite recruit by each of the major recruiting platforms that have him rated so far. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Sears is currently pegged as a five-star player. He sits as the No. 3 overall player, the No. 1 cornerback, and the No. 2 player from the state of Florida for the 2028 recruiting class. This is an elite prospect who has All-American potential on both sides of the football.
As impressive as the recruiting rankings are for Sears, his offer list might be even better. Some of Sears’ top offers so far include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Texas A&M, Florida, Miami, Indiana, USC, Florida State, Nebraska, Auburn, Missouri, Washington, Clemson, Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas State, UNC, Pitt, Maryland, NC State, Syracuse, Minnesota, Cal, and Wake Forest, among several others.
The 6-1, 162-pound playmaker originally attended West Broward High School, but opted to transfer to Columbus this offseason. As a sophomore, Sears put together a sensational season. On defense, the talented cornerback was able to collect 61 total tackles, three interceptions, and 11 pass breakups. Sears also forced a fumble and had a tackle for loss.
You can argue that Sears was even more impressive on offense as a sophomore. In 15 games, Sears managed to haul in 42 receptions for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns. That’s an average of 22.4 yards per reception, with a long reception of 99 yards.
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