Hidden Valley TE Pledges To Dukes

The adjustment shouldn’t be a difficult one for Kelly Mitchell.

On Sunday, the Hidden Valley (Roanoke) tight end said he committed to James Madison, joining the Dukes’ 2020 recruiting class.

“I love it, because it’s pretty much the exact same way I did it in high school,” Mitchell said about how JMU uses its tight ends. “I was the h-back, the tight end, wide receiver. But I really love it, because they’re pretty much doing the same thing. I’ll get to block and run out for passes and do the same thing, so I’ll fit in just perfectly.”

Mitchell, a 6-foot-4, 222-pounder, hauled in 35 receptions for 414 yards and seven touchdowns as a prep senior to help the Titans reach the Virginia High School League Region 3D semifinals.

He said he earned scholarship offers from JMU, Elon, Richmond and FBS Marshall before selecting the Dukes over the Phoenix.

“I was in a predicament between JMU and Elon,” Mitchell said. “But I always wanted to go to JMU. It’s close to town. Everybody knows who it is and some of my friends are going there. So it was easy for me to go there, honestly, just with the atmosphere I saw on the game visit.”

He most recently traveled to Harrisonburg for the Dukes’ Oct. 26 win over Towson, and he said during that trip to Bridgeforth Stadium he was able to speak with his two lead recruiters, JMU offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery and tight ends coach Grant Cain, as well as coach Curt Cignetti.

“They were just telling me how they were running a little low on the tight end depth chart,” Mitchell said, “and that it’d be a great fit for me, so it was a great visit.”

Mitchell said he feels like he built strong relationships with Cain and Montgomery since they first met when he participated in a camp at JMU over the summer. He also is friends with freshman quarterback Jacob Knight, who played at Cave Spring High School in Roanoke before walking on with the Dukes this year.

“They just made it feel like it was at home in a way,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is the 10th verbal pledge in the class, the fifth from Virginia and the fourth offensive player in the class. He said he plans to ink his Letter of Intent later this month during the early signing period.