Mitchell close on visits

Pasadena (Calif.) Muir defensive back Lance Mitchell has been one of the state's top players since his sophomore season. He had a very impressive showing at the NorCal NIKE Camp and is close to setting up his first couple of official visits.

Mitchell, 6-2, 190 pounds plays safety at Muir but showed he's a very talented cover man at the NIKE Camp and was in fact rated the top DB of the day at Stanford. He doesn't have great speed but is a natural athlete with very good football instincts.

Mitchell burst on to the scene as a sophomore when he put up big numbers on both sides of the ball. He racked up 84 tackles and five picks at safety to go with 44 catches for 788 yards and 10 touchdowns at receiver. He had 110 tackles and one pick a year ago plus 36 catches for 690 yards and 10 touchdowns to earn all-league and all-CIF honors.

On the recruiting front, Mitchell has picked up offers from Arizona, Oregon State, Utah and UNLV and it wouldn't surprise us if he hits double digits when teams get a chance to see him play early in the season.

"A lot of schools have said they're watching my first few games and could offer soon depending on how I play," Mitchell said. "I'm hearing from almost everyone in the Pac 10 except Stanford plus Michigan and a few others are showing interest.

"I haven't set up any trip dates yet but I'm going to be doing that soon with Oregon State and Arizona, those two are probably recruiting me the hardest. I like Cal, Michigan, USC and UCLA a lot as well but really, I'm open right now. I don't want to close any doors and just want to wait and see who is interested and see what other schools step and offer me."