Front and center

Mitchell has emerged as the face of the Huskies’ revival

STORRS — Jackson Mitchell endured 22 losses in 24 games over his first two seasons of college football and was part of a UConn football team that canceled its 2020 season because of the pandemic.

Through it all, the Ridgefield native emerged as a standout linebacker. So as UConn football gradually climbs back to relevance under first-year coach Jim Mora, it’s appropriate that Mitchell — nicknamed “Mr. Connecticut” by a teammate — is the face of the program.

The Huskies, who host No. 19 Liberty Saturday at Rentschler Field, are one victory away from bowl eligibility after raising their record to 5-5 with a win over UMass last week. UConn (5-5) has won more games this season than it had in the previous three combined and boasts a .500 record this late in the season for the first time since 2015.

And in the middle of the revival of Connecticut’s state university football program is Mitchell, an under-recruited wide receiver/defensive lineman at Ridgefield High who chose to play for his home state. He also chose to stay at his state school when he could have entered the transfer portal as UConn sputtered.

Now he’s starring for a program on the rise while seemingly becoming an NFL prospect. Those who know him back in Ridgefield are watching with pride.

“I am so happy for his success because that was kind of a risk for him,” Ridgefield coach Kevin Callahan said. “In this day in age, he could have gone to the portal and ended up at some place where we can watch him on TV, but he stayed true to Connecticut.”

‘FOOTBALL KID’

Football has been a family affair for Mitchell, whose father Tom was a defensive back at Hofstra. From youth ball through high school, Jackson Mitchell would slot into any position from running back and wide receiver to defensive back.

“When Jackson was young, we kind of let him play, let him pick the sport,” said Tom Mitchell, currently a freshman coach at Ridgefield High. “Yes, I’ve always loved football, but we tried not to force him into football. We let him play a lot of things: Soccer, baseball, and hockey. He played them all for a while.”

Jackson Mitchell spent his first year at Ridgefield playing freshman football but would upgrade to the varsity level in the fall of

2016 as a sophomore.

“Jackson, when he was here, was a no-nonsense kid,” Callahan said. “You never had a problem with him. He didn’t talk much, he was quiet. He trained like crazy, obviously, but he was just a football kid. The most important thing to him was football.”

Listed on the roster as 6-foot-2, 205 pounds as a sophomore, Mitchell’s arrival was highly anticipated.

“Coming up as a sophomore, we knew he was physically ahead of his age,” Callahan said. “We knew we had a physical specimen coming in, but the stronger he got and the more we got to know him, we realized the depth of his athletic ability.

“That kind of developed and we were constantly asking ourselves what more we could get out of him, and we kept putting him into positions he made us better at, plug and fix.”

Ridgefield went 10-3 that season and made a trip to the CIAC Class L state championship, losing to Darien 28-7. While Mitchell would eventually become an elite offensive weapon in high school, the 2016 season was foreshadowing of his future defensive prowess.

“As a sophomore they brought him on and initially needed an offensive weapon, but they had a pretty talented team,” Tom Mitchell said. “The first couple of games he wasn’t seeing the ball a lot and he petitioned the defensive coach Pete McClean, and they put him at defensive end. He really flourished and Coach Callahan kept putting him there.”

The buzz around Mitchell would continue to grow in the coming years, as he took on more of an offensive role while becoming a starting receiver as seniors graduated.

“He was a big go-to, as well as playing defense. It just became natural to him. He was catching touchdowns left and right and was doing very well,” Tom Mitchell said.

As a junior, Mitchell was named to the New Haven Register All-State First Team at wide receiver with 80 receptions for 1,124 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a senior in 2018,

Mitchell was again named to the New Haven Register All-State team, this time as a defensive lineman as he broke the Ridgefield record for sacks in a season with 141⁄2.

“The way he would dominate people, I would start to see opposing teams dropping their heads and helmets,” Callahan said. “He would wear them down and they would get that sense of quit in them, because they didn’t want to go up against this kid every down.”

Despite the overwhelming success, Jackson Mitchell was mostly recruited by FCS schools such as Central Connecticut State, Fordham, Sacred Heart, Dartmouth, and Villanova.

There were two FBS programs interested, however.

“Jackson wanted to play at the highest level he possibly could,” Tom Mitchell said. “Also, in the back of his head I believe he had the interest in trying to play sooner than later. That kind of lead him down the Boston College and UConn path.”

CHOOSING UCONN

For a New England football recruit, Boston College offers the best opportunity to play at a high level. The Eagles are part of the ACC and have often pursued the best players in the region.

But BC’s interest in Mitchell was tepid.

“The guys that were at (Boston College), a couple of the guys we were pretty friendly with, me having been a coach for over 30 years,” Callahan said. “They were friendly enough with me where they could critique him, but they weren’t really recruiting him very hard. I for the life of me couldn’t figure it out. I coached at the college level for a few years, and I was shaking my head thinking ‘what’s missing here?’ Now, UConn did a great job getting the constant contact with him.”

Shame for Boston College.

Enter UConn.

“As they started talking to him, the weight started to shift towards UConn,” Tom Mitchell said. “As we went through the process, (former UConn coach Randy) Edsall really made him earn it, going to camps to show them that he deserved the spot.”

UConn was not quick to hand out a scholarship to Mitchell, despite near weekly visits from the coaching staff to Ridgefield High.

“One day the guy that was recruiting him came in here for his weekly visit, sat across from me in his office and said ‘Coach, I hope you don’t mind me asking this but can I ask you what is wrong? You look like you want to kill me,’ ” Callahan said. “I said I don’t understand why you are coming here every week when you haven’t offered this kid. What more could you possibly want?

“Before 7:30 the next morning, Jackson got his offer. I don’t know if they needed the push or not, but I can certainly put my head on the pillow at night knowing I gave him a good recommendation.”

We will never know if Callahan’s rant led to the offer, just hastened it, or was entirely irrelevant, but it is undoubtedly difficult to imagine the 2022 Huskies without Mitchell.

Once the offer came, the decision was clear.

“Jackson’s mind was set, he wanted to play in his home state,” Callahan said. “He wanted to play at UConn. He wanted his parents to see him play. He wanted to be home. That was a big deal to him, even he said to me that if Boston College did come in with a scholarship offer, he would probably lean UConn. To his credit, he lined it up and he’s nailed it.”

Jackson Mitchell packed away the black and orange to take up the blue and white, relocating from Ridgefield to Storrs to embark on his next step.

ADJUSTING TO COLLEGE

As a freshman at UConn in 2019, Mitchell finished third in the nation among true freshmen with 65 total tackles and ranked first in tackles per game with 6.5. As a sophomore, Mitchell lead UConn with 120 total tackles, 61⁄2 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles and a pick.

While Mitchell found success, the team did not. UConn struggled in 2019 and 2021, and canceled the 2020 season.

As if going 2-22 in his first two seasons year were not deflating enough, the head coach that had recruited him, Randy Edsall, stepped down early last season leaving a failing program, well, flailing.

“You feel for your son going through that because you know he is a competitor who wants to win,” Tom Mitchell said. “He kind of stepped into the program knowing where it was. We had talked about in sports that somebody has to be the first one to get things going in the right direction again.

“Even with that said, those experiences were really hard, and I think he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. During those 1-11 seasons it is not easy, but he fought his way through it.”

The light at the end of the tunnel was Jim Mora.

The former NFL coach with a background in defense was hired by UConn in November 2021. It was a surprise hire, but Mora immediately injected life into the program.

“I know there are periods where ( Jackson) was probably down, but in my heart, I think that he wanted things to work out so he could stay,” Tom Mitchell said. “He had become great friends with the guys there and he just wanted to see the mission through, that is just how he is built. When Mora came around and they got that vibe started, I think he was happy about that.”

Under Mora, UConn and Mitchell have thrived. UConn is 5-5 and the Huskies defeated Boston College 13-3, with Mitchell racking up a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception — all in the fourth quarter against the program that didn’t offer him a scholarship.

Jackson’s family was cheering in the stands.

“It was great to see Jackson and the team as a whole get that type of win,” Tom Mitchell said. “You have the angst against Power Five teams with what has gone on the last couple years. But to see them come out and fight across the board, to see the progress was just a pleasure. It was a long time coming and we were so happy for Jackson and the boys, and to see Jackson have that kind of game against that type of team was very exciting as a parent.”

Mitchell is currently ranked third in the nation with 108 tackles. He has 61⁄2 tackles for a loss, 41⁄2 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries on his way to being named a Butkus Award Semifinalist.

UConn is gain attention around the country — Mora has been mentioned as a coach of the year candidate — and Mitchell’s stock is rising.

“It just shows that hard work dedication and surrounding yourself with like-minded people can get you moving in the right direction,” Tom Mitchell said. “I think Jackson believed that and it is paying off right now. Seeing this transpire now is very fulfilling.”

Making Mitchell’s performance this season even more impressive is that he has been doing so with a broken thumb. He had surgery in the spring to repair it, but it was unsuccessful.

Mitchell has played every game through the pain.

“I don’t know how many players in college football would play through that,” Mora said in October. “I don’t think anyone could have faulted Jackson if he decided to let it heal, but he didn’t. He decided to play, so he has been practicing and playing with a splint on.”

Beyond his ability on the field, Mitchell has stepped into a top leadership role at UConn despite his consistently quiet presence going back to his Ridgefield days.

Mora has cited Mitchell all season for his leadership on a young team.

“He is all in all the time, you can count on that guy,” Mora said. “He doesn’t have to say a lot. Six or seven minutes before we take the field on game day is the most vocal you will ever hear Jackson Mitchell. With the team, trying to set the mindset for the players. It is impactful because it is Jackson Mitchell, he doesn’t say a lot but every day he demonstrates that commitment, so when he does speak up it means something.”

Only two games remain on the Huskies’ schedule with Liberty at Rentschler Field Saturday before traveling to Army in the season finale a week later.

UConn is one win away from being eligible for a bowl game, something that seemed unthinkable before the season.

“What the team has done to turnaround what we had to what we are now is really incredible,” Jackson Mitchell said. “The praise belongs to the whole team because of how hard they have worked and everything we have gone through as a team. Being on the verge of going to a bowl game is very exciting for us.”

Meanwhile, Mitchell has been pushed into the spotlight because of his play.

Beyond the national attention, the statewide excitement continues to spread, where even his parents are enjoying the ride.

“We get a lot of buzz, I get stopped in the local store by people asking me how he is doing,” Tom Mitchell said. “Jackson was a very well-liked student in the school and the community, so we get stuff in a lot of places. He has a nice little following going as they have watched him develop and grow with this team.”

Last week, defensive back Durante Jones called Mitchell “Mr. Connecticut.” The nickname fits for a Connecticut kid helping revive the biggest college football program in the state.

For Jackson, his added notoriety is centered around one theme. Inspire those who were in his shoes.

“There are not a lot of football players that come out of Connecticut and get a chance to hopefully play at the highest level and hopefully play at the professional level,” Jackson Mitchell said. “To be a guy that maybe some kids can look up to in this state and think that they can do it is really important to me. I just want to show them what hard work really can do.”

UConn Athletics / Contributed photo UConn linebacker Jackson Mitchell (8) has emerged as leader for the Huskies this season.