Mariner’s Mitchell commits to Ole Miss
During a recent visit to the University of Mississippi, Mariner High football coach Chad O’Brien came away impressed with the way Rebels coach Houston Nutt is building his program.
Mariner senior Eric Mitchell was impressed, too.
Mitchell, a 6-foot 175-pound running back/cornerback, has verbally committed to play football and continue his education at Ole Miss.
He selected Ole Miss, which plays in the SEC, from a list of approximately 16 Division I offers. Miami, South Florida and Michigan were among Mitchell’s other favorites.
“They’re very similar to what we do,” O’Brien said of Ole Miss. “They’re personable with the kids and try to build that family atmosphere. When I was talking to (cornerbacks coach) Chris Vaughn, it was as if I’ve known him for 10 years.”
Vaughn played a key role in recruiting Mitchell, who is ranked as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. Mitchell expects to play cornerback with the Rebels.
Mitchell is entering his third year on the varsity for the Tritons. As a sophomore, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and continued to perform well as a running back during his junior year, remaining the team’s primary offensive threat. He finished with 10 rushing touchdowns.
Mitchell has continued to improve as a cornerback, and has gained approximately 25 pounds since his sophomore year. O’Brien said despite the added weight and muscle, Mitchell has increased his speed. His fastest time in the 40-yard dash is 4.46.
O’Brien said Mitchell has always brought a physical style of play to the field. The past two years he received the bulk of the carries in the Tritons’ run-oriented system, and made several key stops in run support from his cornerback spot.
“He’ll come up and hit,” O’Brien said. “The first game (in 2007) against North Port we were in triple overtime, and a running back was on his way in for a touchdown and (Mitchell) hit him at the 1 and drove him back to the 3. We scored on the next possession and won the game.”
Mitchell’s combination of size and speed figures to be a good fit with Ole Miss, which has assembled a talented core under Nutt.
The Rebels handed eventual national champion Florida its only loss of the season last year, and won their final six games, including a 47-34 victory over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.