Boise State football starting defensive back Jaden Mickey will not play against No. 21 Notre Dame, sources confirm. The Notre Dame transfer is still in concussion protocol following last week's injury.

Mickey suffered the injury during Boise State's win over Appalachian State last Saturday. He collided with teammate Arthur De Boachi while making a tackle on kickoff coverage. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and went to a local hospital.

Broncos coach Spencer Danielson said Mickey was discharged from the hospital that same night. He entered concussion protocol immediately, though all other medical tests were normal.

“I was able to get some time with him,” Danielson said as per 247sports. “He was doing much better. Even talking to him about the moment itself, when the hit happened on the kickoff, and everybody saw what kinda happened on the field.”

Danielson confirmed Thursday that Mickey was “still going through concussion protocols” and that it would be a game-time decision. But things seem normal for him as he participated in noncontact practice during the week but didn't receive medical clearance.

“We are going to protect Jaden,” Danielson noted during his Monday press conference. “We're going to walk this path. We are going to always put our players' health and care in front of them going to play football. Period. End of story.”

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Boise State's Jaden Mickey won't be able to play against former team

This game is definitely an extra emotion for Mickey, who spent three seasons at Notre Dame before transferring to Boise State in February. He arrived in South Bend as a four-star recruit from Centennial High School in Eastvale, California, in 2022. Over 2½ seasons with the Fighting Irish, Mickey played in 27 games with three starts, recording 23 tackles, three pass deflections, and one interception.

Mickey left Notre Dame midseason in 2024 to preserve eligibility, graduated with a psychology degree, and initially committed to Cal before flipping to Boise State football.

Before the injury, Mickey was playing well for the Broncos. He recorded nine tackles, two pass deflections and a forced fumble over three games while earning the team's top Pro Football Focus defensive grade among players with at least 30 snaps.

Mickey will travel with the team to South Bend regardless of his playing status.