Four-star wideout Adonai Mitchell discusses Ole Miss pledge
THE COMMITMENT: Four-star wide receiver Adonai Mitchell announced his verbal commitment to Ole Miss on Wednesday evening, giving Lane Kiffin’s Rebels their fourth commit of the 2020 cycle. Below, Mitchell discusses his decision, and Rivals.com takes a look at what the Rebels are getting.
IN HIS WORDS
ON WHAT SEALED THE DEAL FOR OLE MISS:
“I sat down and had a talk -- a long call -- with Coach [Derrick] Nix and Coach [Jeff] Lebby, the OC. That’s when I knew for sure, I mean, it’s been a long process, but I felt like Ole Miss was the best fit for me. I trust them. That’s what it comes down to.”
ON LANE KIFFIN:
“Coach Kiffin is dope. Even before I knew him, I’ve been following him since, like, forever. He has strong NFL ties and has coached at a lot of different places, so he’s seen things. He has plenty of experience.”
ON HIS ROLE IN THE OFFENSE:
“I was told that I would come in and play ealy -- or have the chance to play early. I wasn’t told details about where on the field I’d line up or anything like that, but I wanna have a chance to play early and they're giving me that.”
ON HIS VISIT TO OXFORD:
“It was in January for a junior day. I loved it, man. It was actually really surprising because I really didn’t know too much about Ole Miss other than that they always have receivers that produce. But, like, I didn’t know much about the actual school. I was shocked. I was like, ‘Man, this place is beautiful. I love it here.’”
ON IF HE’LL TAKE OFFICIAL VISITS AFTER THE DEAD PERIOD:
“I’m going to take a couple more visits. I might go check out Auburn and I’ll be going back to Ole Miss for sure, Maybe Georgia, too. We’ll see.”
WHAT OLE MISS IS GETTING: Mitchell is an explosive wideout that caught roughly 50 passes as a junior a season ago. He seems to have added muscle and could be in for an even bigger senior year if the Covid-19 crisis allows for football this fall. Mitchell lacks elite top-end speed, but he is elusive enough in space, which makes him tough to tackle in the open field. He also has sure hands and a knack for high-pointing passes.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR OLE MISS: Lane Kiffin landing an in-demand prospect before ever coaching a game at Ole Miss is certainly an encouraging sign. So while Mitchell isn’t exactly a program-changing talent, his commitment demonstrates that the Rebels’ new staff will be able to stand toe-to-toe with other regional powers on the recruiting tail should the program show signs of progress this fall. Mitchell trains with the most prominent training group in Tennessee. and having an in with NPA Sports, which pumps out FBS players every cycle, isn’t a bad thing for a new coaching staff trying to establish a recruiting footprint.
