Hillsborough duo down to a trio

Posted Jan 11, 2010 by Bill Ward

Updated Jan 11, 2010 at 06:47 PM

Hillsborough senior star football players Tarean Austin and Terrence Mitchell say they have narrowed their college choices to three schools each.

Mitchell, a four-year starter for Hillsborough at safety, said Monday his finalists are Illinois, the University of South Florida and Florida State University.

Last weekend, he and his father made an official visit to FSU, where besides the Seminoles football staff he also met with head track coach Bob Braman. Mitchell is considered a two-sport recruit because he is one of the state’s top long and triple jumpers, as well as an intermediate hurdler. Like most schools who have made Mitchell an offer, he is projected as a cornerback in college even though he has played safety his entire career for Hillsborough.

Mitchell said the recent removal of Jim Leavitt as USF’s coach concerns him but he says it doesn’t rule out him becoming a Bull. He says his primary concern is if USF brings in a new coach, that coach would likely bring in an new staff of assistants who might be unfamiliar with his style of play. Still, Mitchell’s cousin and close friend, former Hillsborough player Lindsey Lamar, is a running back for USF while his older sister, Whitney Mitchell, is a student at South Florida.

Mitchell, who has turned down offers from nearly every Southeastern Conference school including Florida, said the two Florida schools do not necessarily hold an advantage over the out-of-state finalist. He says he’s not worried about playing far away from home or in cold weather.

“At the end of the day, you can’t run away from the weather,” Mitchell said. “And if I ever get to pay in the NFL, I’m going to have to play in cities all over the country that have cold weather.”

Austin, the Terriers’ quarterback who passed for 2,157 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, said his trio of candidates include New Mexico, Florida International University and Western Kentucky. So far, Austin’s lone official visit has been to New Mexico but this weekend he says he is heading to FIU, followed by a trip to Western Kentucky the following week. He says all three schools are recruiting him as a quarterback but he added that WKU is also considering using him as a two-way player. Austin said he doesn’t care whether he plays in state or out.

“It really doesn’t matter to me,” Austin said of staying closer to home. “It all depends which is the best school for me and my future.”