Notre Dame CB target Mullen making up for lost time
Lost time hasn’t hurt Trayvon Mullen.
Despite being forced to sit out his sophomore season following a transfer to Coconut Creek (Fla.) High, the 2016 cornerback prospect has been on the receiving end of plenty of offers from the nation’s top college football programs.
Mullen’s offer list has grown from zero to 20 since the start of May.
“I sat out my sophomore year with transcript issues, so I took it upon myself after not playing that year to play better this year,” Mullen said. “I used that as motivation when preparing for my spring game.
“I stuck with the receivers, and they made no catches the whole game on me. I went to all kinds of college camps and seven-on-seven tournaments — a bunch of things to get the coaches' attention.”
Notre Dame became the latest school to offer in July when Mullen spoke with Irish recruiting coordinator Tony Alford. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Mullen was traveling from Florida State’s camp when he heard the news.
“It didn't really come out of nowhere,” Mullen said. “I wasn't hearing from them, but I was getting a lot of followers and tweets saying things about Notre Dame. I always told my coach that I wanted an offer from them, so I guess he talked with them.”
Mullen’s connection to the Irish comes from early childhood.
“I didn't really know much about them, but I did like them growing up,” Mullen said. “I used to watch them on TV a lot. That's my uncle's favorite team. I do know that they went to the national championship two years ago. That's great. The type of defense they run, I feel like I'm a great fit for.”
Mullen has yet to solidify plans but said he hopes to visit Notre Dame before summer ends. Regardless, he plans to see the Irish in person when they play at Florida State in October.
A four-star prospect, Mullen possesses the skill set and confidence needed to be an elite cornerback. Both Rivals and 247Sports slate Mullen as the No. 6 cornerback prospect in the 2016 class.
“Playing press man (coverage) is my best skill,” Mullen said. “When I'm going against a receiver, I know I'm going to win every time. I'm 6-2, 175, and I use my arms and footwork to stay in front of my man.
“I'm not a cornerback that's just going to go out there and accept that a receiver is going to beat me. My mindset is that I'm going to beat you every time.”
With two full seasons left in his high school career, Mullen isn’t looking to end his recruitment any time soon. He’s still fielding offers to join Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Ohio State and others on his list.
“There are schools that are impressing me, but I honestly don't want to say that this school is sticking out over this school,” Mullen said. “It's still early in the process. I still have two more years. I don't want to make a decision based on a top list right now and it end up being something different. Right now, I'm not rushing anything.”
Mullen is in a hurry to get back on the field though. He hasn’t played in a fall game since his freshman year at Boyd Anderson. His junior season starts with an Aug. 29 game against Upper Dublin from Pennsylvania at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla.
“I want to prove myself and make it look like I did play my sophomore year,” Mullen said. “I'm really excited about this upcoming season. I feel like I'm going to do great.”
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