Notre Dame cornerback Jaden Mickey is officially in the NCAA transfer portal, he announced on social media Tuesday morning. He’ll look to finish his college career elsewhere with two years of eligibility remaining.

Mickey played 82 defensive snaps in Notre Dame’s first four games of the season. He was a clear No. 3 outside corner option behind starters Benjamin Morrison and Christian Gray, a junior and a sophomore, respectively. He’ll probably end up at a place where he knows he can start.

Mickey will likely end up closer to his home state of California, too. His mother passed away from colon cancer in late December, the night before Notre Dame’s Sun Bowl win over Oregon State. It’s been a tough time for the grieving family, and Indiana isn’t a hop, skip and a jump away from California.

Nonetheless, Mickey will stay at Notre Dame and earn his degree over the next two semesters. Mickey was spotted in the Fighting Irish student section this past Saturday after Notre Dame’s 31-24 victory over Louisville. He high-fived his former teammates and showed them support as they walked up the tunnel to the locker room after the game.

Mickey’s decision to transfer midseason came at the exact time former Notre Dame defensive lineman Jacob Lacey decided to depart from the program two years ago — four games into the season. Student-athletes can play in four or fewer games and retain a year of eligibility via a redshirt. If Mickey would have played in one more game with the Irish, he’d only have one year of college ball left to play wherever he ends up.

Mickey has been a staple of the Notre Dame secondary for the last three seasons, appearing in 28 games. He began his career as a four-star prospect and the No. 185 overall player and No. 22 cornerback in the class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, by playing 12 defensive snaps on the road at No. 2 Ohio State in an epic season-opener.

As a freshman, Mickey played 247 defensive snaps, including 66 against USC and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams when Notre Dame starter Cam Hart could not suit up because of injury. As a sophomore, he upped that number to 253. Twenty-six of those game against the Beavers the morning after his mother died.

Mickey was a valuable depth piece for a very stout Notre Dame defense, but the Irish will need to lean on other personnel, namely freshman Leonard Moore, with him officially out of the picture. Moore played 76 defensive snaps against Louisville with Mickey gone and Gray not playing because of a shoulder injury.

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