Advertisement
football Edit

Alabama DB commitment to follow in the footsteps of Tide greats

Tony Mitchell has been on the recruiting scene for a while. He isn't an unknown who emerged after an excellent camp performance or earned an offer after staring as a sophomore or junior. Mitchell received offers, and he committed to Tennessee prior to the start of his freshman season at Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama.

Mitchell has helped lead the Warriors to three straight Class 7A state championships. Freshmen don't start often for the top (high school) football program in the state. Head coach Mark Freeman has seen one of his pupils turn into one of the best players in the country.

Coach Freeman noted Mitchell’s talent when he first arrived as an offensive player. It was hard to keep him from staring on his high powered attack, but saw something special in Mitchell as a defensive back. He started in the secondary right away and will enter his fourth year this fall.

Mitchell plays cornerback, but his coach believes he will settle-in at the star (hybrid safety) on Alabama's defense.

"I think he can be a Roman Harper or Mark Barron type player for them at star,” Coach Freeman said. “He can really play all three positions in the secondary.

"He is such an instinctive player, and is a downhill runner. I think he can play the star and nickel. He's one of those guys who never has to come off the field. He can cover tight ends or cover any of the receivers in a four-set. He's very versatile."

Mitchell's competitive spirit was expressed early in his career. The head coach has been impressed with Mitchell on-and-off the field throughout the last three years.

"Tony is a great person," Freeman said. "He's been with us his whole career. He’s never been in trouble. A very high character kid. He's a leader and his teammates love him.

"I remember when he was a freshman we were playing a big game; Hoover, maybe. He was in a battle, and the receiver made a tremendous catch on a jump ball. He almost had tears in his eyes because he had given up a play. He's just a great player and competes on every snap. He wants to win every snap. He's started four years for us."

The now 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior is on the Alabama commitment list after announcing his decision for the Crimson Tide. Mitchell kept many guessing throughout his recruitment especially in the last few months as Florida and Texas A&M were considered the front-runners in his recruitment.

Alabama has recruited Mitchell for three years. The Tide was seen as the favorite after his decommitment from Tennessee (March 2020). He attended several games in Tuscaloosa last fall, attended Junior Day and returned during the spring. Freddie Roach and Charles Kelly led the early recruiting efforts. Travaris Robinson also helped recruit Mitchell after he joined Alabama's staff in January.

Mitchell returned to Tuscaloosa twice last week which included a mid-week visit with his family and also during the weekend. The tide really seemed to shift in Alabama's favor last week. He decided to stay home and will enroll at Alabama in January.

"Tony went everywhere," Coach Freeman said. "I think in the end with Alabama being in-state and the way they recruited him the last six months was just different than everyone else. They really just let him do his thing.

"He went to Texas A&M and Florida. I think Alabama was hoping that when it started to get closer to the end that he would come back around. He visited Alabama a lot, and I think having a lot of his family here is important to him. I also think he feels like, defensively, it's one of the best places for him to get to the NFL. He knows they can help further his abilities and help prepare him on-and-off the field."

Advertisement

Order Andrew Bone's book: ‘The Road to Bama’

Order Andrew Bone's book now through Amazon. Click this photo to jump to the order page
Order Andrew Bone's book now through Amazon. Click this photo to jump to the order page (Order Andrew Bone's book now through Amazon. Click this photo to jump to the order page)
Advertisement