Football has been a part of Mitchell’s life since he was four years old. The Iota defensive back was a member of the team that finished in the state semi-finals. During Mitchell’s four years at Iota, he was part of their rebuilding process. His freshman and sophomore years saw the team finish 1-9 and 2-8. During his junior and senior years, he saw the rebuilding process begin to pay off. In his last two years at Iota, the team finished 9-3 and 13-1. Because of this drastic improvement, I asked him how he felt about being a part of this transition. He replied, “It was great. I like seeing hard work pay off”.
Since he hasn’t been a part of the rewards process, I asked him if he would rather be a part of the rebuilding or the rewards process. “Oh, most definitely the rebuilding process.” That kind of attitude is something a coach loves to have on the sideline. One of his strengths that he expressed to me is his “high motor”. Despite his high motor he thinks his weight holds him back. “I love to work out. It doesn’t look like it but I love getting stronger. I just want to get bigger in size”. Of course, size is a desirable factor to coaches. However, with Mitchell’s work ethic and determination, I believe that those can compensate for his lack of size.
Other strengths that Mitchell believes he can bring to a college program are his dependability, football IQ, and his willingness to be a hard nose player. “I just know where to be on the field, watching film is the key to that”. A young player who is willing to get in the film room more often than not has the makings of a solid player. He believes his dependability is an asset he can bring to a college program because “I’m where I need to be wherever the coach needs me to be”. A player who is willing to be as committed as Mitchell can be a great addition to any team. For what he may lack in size, he makes up for in his commitment, football IQ and work ethic.
