Juco safety and former Alabama transfer Tony Mitchell breaks down Mississippi State decision
Mississippi State’s early struggles to the season have not carried over to the recruiting trail. On Wednesday, that was evident again when 2025 safety and former Alabama transfer Tony Mitchell announced his commitment to the Bulldogs.
Mitchell, a former On3 four-star prospect in the Class of 2024, transferred to East Mississippi Community College and becomes the 18th commitment for State’s Class of 2025. Earlier this month, Mitchell collected a Bulldog offer and did so from a familiar coach – Mississippi State defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler. Mitchell played for Hutzler last season at Alabama and noted that Hutzler was a big factor in Wednesday’s decision.
“It’s a good connection and relationship with Coach Hutzler,” said Mitchell. “So that was always a factor for me and having that connection there was huge. He really doesn’t have to say much to me when it comes to recruiting and all of that because he coached me at Alabama last year. So we are already familiar with each other and he knows what I can do on the field. So he expects me to come in and be a great player.”
Mitchell has also formed a good bond with Mississippi State safeties coach Matt Barnes, who Mitchell also knew during his high school recruiting days.
“I also talk to Coach Barnes a lot and that’s been good,” Mitchell added. “He’s a real cool dude and he lets me know they want me there. They like me at nickel and they believe I can fit right in with the defense they run.”
With State’s defensive struggles, the Bulldogs are seeking to add more experience to next year’s defense with guys that can impact the defense immediately. That’s been the message to Mitchell over the past few weeks, as well, per the Mississippi State staff.
“It’s been good with all of the Mississippi State coaches,” noted Mitchell. “The coaches said they need me to come in and make an impact right away. They need my physicality and my versatility on defense.”
So far this season, Mitchell has been playing that nickel position for East Mississippi and has collected eight tackles with one fumble recovery. He shared his thoughts on his secondary position and noted why it fits him the best.
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“I’ve been playing nickel so far,” the 6-foot and 1/2 and 208-pound Mitchell explained. “It’s been going good and it is the best position for me on the field. You can do everything from that position and I feel like my skills set and versatility is best used at nickel. That’s also where I played at Alabama.”
Mitchell has also collected offers from Ole Miss and West Virginia this month along with steady interest from Auburn and LSU among others. Naturally, Mitchell has already experienced the recruiting process before and that previous experienced aided his mindset this time around.
“It’s definitely different,” mentioned Mitchell. “This time around you just go straight to the point because I’ve already been through the process. I’ve seen everything before, been at Alabama and I know what’s what. I can see the real and the fake through the whole thing.”
While Mississippi State has encountered a slow start to the Jeff Lebby era, Mitchell has belief and confidence that the future will be better. And he’s not surprised about the “growing pains” the program has gone through this season.
“I feel like they’ve got a chance to still be a good team,” Mitchell said. “They have a new staff so you just go through growing pains and stuff like that happens. You just got to keep working and keep getting better.”
With Mitchell’s decision, he becomes the third safety commitment in State’s class, joining Florida prep standouts Sekou Smith Jr. and Lo’Kavion Jackson.
