Juwan Mitchell on Texas' move to SEC: 'I'm proud of them'

There are no hard feelings between Tennessee linebacker Juwan Mitchell and the University of Texas, his previous school. In fact, the senior linebacker praised the Longhorns for their decision to move from the Big 12 to the SEC — the same decision he just made this year.

“I’m proud of them,” he said Thursday. “They should [move to the SEC]. They wanted to come over here just like I did. There’s a lot of talent at Texas and one of the reasons — I’m showing it as well — is we can ball as well. Them coming over, it will definitely help them a lot to get drafted where they need to, and just play on a national level.”

Mitchell joined Tennessee this summer, following two seasons at Texas. He played in 21 games, starting 13 and had 101 tackles on his career. His best season came last season, his junior year, when he started eight games and led the team with 62 tackles (32 solo tackles) and ranked 15th in the Big 12. Mitchell also added a quarterback hurry, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery to his the campaign but later opted to enter the portal.

Out of high school, Mitchell joined Butler Community College in Kansas, where he was named an all-conference linebacker and was given a three-star rating by most recruiting websites, placing him firmly in the top-ten of JUCO linebacker recruits.

After two years in Austin, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker entered the transfer portal, in part due to academic issues.

After entering the transfer portal in late March, Michell eventually committed to the University of Tennessee via social media last May.

He clarified Thursday that he picked Tennessee for a myriad of reasons, including the coaching staff, and commented on the transition — one that he labeled as smooth.

“Well I really picked Tennessee because of the coaching staff, the conference, a lot went into it, but the transition was smooth. I love the versatility and how offenses are run. I’ve been watching some film. I pretty much look at the SEC like the Big 12 and the Big Ten combined.”

Despite being a senior, Mitchell still has two years of eligibility including his COVID-19 exempt year. Texas and Oklahoma are slated to make the jump from the Big 12 to the SEC beginning in 2025.