Hillsborough’s Mitchell taking unofficial visit to FSU

Posted Sep 3, 2009 by Bill Ward

Updated Sep 3, 2009 at 06:00 PM

Hillsborough High safety Terrence Mitchell says he will make an unofficial visit to Florida State University this weekend to take in the Seminoles’ nationally-televised game Monday night against the University of Miami.

Mitchell has received a scholarship offer from FSU as well as the majority of the Southeastern Conference, South Florida, Ohio State, Michigan, California, Penn State, Michigan State and Iowa State. He says he has yet to make plans for any official campus visits this fall and remains uncommitted.

But sources at FSU have informed the Tampa Tribune/TBO.com that Mitchell has told Seminoles football coaches is leaning strongly toward the Atlantic Coast Conference school, which is also recruiting him as a track athlete. The Seminoles were NCAA men’s track champions in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and Mitchell is a state-ranked jumper, sprinter and intermediate hurdler.

Oddly enough, the 5-10, 160-pound Mitchell Mitchell has always played safety for Hillsborough—not cornerback. But that’s the position everyone seems to want him for. That’s due mostly to his incredible athletic ability, which includes personal bests of 10.59 seconds for the 100-meter dash, 24 feet, 2.5 inches in the long jump, 47-8.75 for the triple jump and 38.30 for the 300 hurdles.

As Tribune columnist Joey Johnston observed, “Mitchell has a lot of bend and swivel in his hips, giving him the ability to change directions while covering the deep and intermediate passes with equal effectiveness. In short, he has the classic characteristics of a big-time prospect at cornerback, a high-value position, given the pass-happy tendencies of many college programs.”