AD Mitchell happy to see daughter, family more after Texas transfer

Texas landed one of the most dynamic wide receivers in this year’s portal cycle in former Georgia star AD Mitchell. Only a handful of days seperate Mitchell from making his debut in burnt orange, and for him personally — he’s loving every second of it.

While Mitchell’s two seasons with the Bulldogs resulted in back-to-back national championships, his family life was ultimately what drove him to come play closer to his loved ones.

“That’s honestly been the best part,” Mitchell said about being closer to home. “When I was 12 hours away [at Georgia], I didn’t get that time with my mom. I didn’t get that time with my family and most of all, my daughter. So, being here I’ve been able to spend more time with her this year than I have the past two years.”

Mitchell’s tenure at Georgia was as memorable as he could have hoped. He accomplished what he needed to do, utilized the portal and ultimately made the best decision for himself and those that count on him.

During his time in Athens, Mitchell caught 38 passes for 560 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns. Of course, Mitchell will always live on in Georgia history as he was responsible for catching a go-ahead touchdown pass in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game to win against Alabama.

Mitchell came to Texas having been nursing an ankle injury since last season, which hindered him a bit at first, per head coach Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian started taking notice of his improvements once he was able to practice at full-speed to begin the summer.

“He made a conscious effort to make the change in how he wanted to play and what we were asking of him,” Sarkisian said. “From about mid-early July? There’s been a shift in him that he’s been carrying here through training camp.”

Now, he’s moving on to the next phase of his career — and he might be a part of an even more star-studded group at Texas. Alongside Mitchell, Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington are the two other top wide receivers in quarterback Quinn Ewers‘ arsenal this season.

In 2022, Worthy and Whittingham combined for 1,372 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns — nine of which were provided by Worthy. Mitchell only adds more gas to the fire.

Texas will be able to showcase its wide receiving corps when it kicks the 2023 season against Rice at home. Week 2’s battle at No. 4 Alabama will be very telling for Sarkisian’s group offensively.