R.J.

Mickens

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein attribute Mickens’ NFL-ready tackling, play diagnosis and instincts to his father’s likely influence. Ray Mickens spent 10 NFL seasons as a New York Jet. The younger Mickens (6’/199) possesses excellent athleticism (8.59 RAS) and should find a role on special teams, at worst. In his final, full college season, he set career highs in solo tackles (55), stops (26), TFLs (12) and forced incompletions (seven).

Mickens is rated the top safety in the class by 247 Sports in their composite rankings, and the fifth best player in the state of Texas. It’s a huge get for the Tigers, and he was also considering schools like Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma. The 6-foot, 187-pound defender could also play corner, but he profiles best as a free safety, according to analysts. The rich get richer.

Clemson and Ohio State are going to be first up on the docket for Mickens, with a later trip to Norman to check out the Sooners set for late July. The 6-foot, 187-pounder is also hoping to make it back to Notre Dame after visiting the Irish in the spring. In Rivals’ shiny new rankings for the 2020 class, Mickens lands as the No. 30 overall prospect. It’s early yet and his recruitment figures to take a more concrete form over the winter. For now, he’s just sifting through his options.