CSNbbs

i know many of us were wondering when Brandon Mitchell would emerge. Emphasis is mine:

Quote:Withrow's Mitchell gets his time on UC line

Aug. 26, 2013 12:25 PM

UC defensive lineman Brandon Mitchell out of Withrow

Written by
Scott Springer

FILED UNDER
Sports
Ohio High School
University Of Cincinnati
UC sophomore Brandon Mitchell awaits his turn in a preseason drill at Camp Higher Ground in Indiana. The defensive lineman from Withrow should be in the Bearcats' rotation this fall. ZOOM
UC sophomore Brandon Mitchell awaits his turn in a preseason drill at Camp Higher Ground in Indiana. The defensive lineman from Withrow should be in the Bearcats' rotation this fall. / Scott Springer/Community Press
CINCINNATI — Patience is not a skill best mastered by young college students.

It is, though, a valuable attribute when hard work is eventually rewarded.

Such is the case of Withrow High School’s Brandon Mitchell. As a first-team performer on the offensive and defensive lines, he came to the University of Cincinnati in 2011.

Though he was an all-Ohio selection for the orange and black in high school, the transition to college wasn’t as easy and Mitchell had to redshirt a year. In 2012, he saw very limited action.

Now, in his third fall since signing his letter-of-intent, Mitchell is ready to make his presence known.

About a mile from where he signed with UC at the Cincinnati Public School Board building, Mitchell is in the defensive rotation. A successful August at the UC’s training camp caught the eye of coach Tommy Tuberville and staff.

“I’m highly proud of myself and my team,” Mitchell said. “I couldn’t have done it without them. I do thank the new coaching staff for coming in and giving me a chance. The old coaching staff really didn’t give me a chance.”

As a sophomore, Mitchell has developed a sense of urgency. Adapting to college life is difficult by itself, let alone when combining athletics and academics.

“I’m putting in a lot more hard work than I did in the past,” Mitchell said. “I’ve matured. They got me strong and tougher and taught me how to fight through a lot of pain.”

Playing for Withrow, Mitchell went both ways and weighed in the 280-290 pound range. He kept the pounds down because he also wrestled in the winter.

His senior year, Mitchell was 19-2 as a heavyweight. With 308 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame now, he uses some of the maneuvers he learned on the mat on the field.

“Wrestling helps a lot,” Mitchell said. “It makes me disciplined, makes me tough, makes me strong, makes me agile and makes my footwork a lot better. They both go hand-in-hand as it taught me how to balance out my weight.”

While he battles on Saturdays at Nippert Stadium, Mitchell still speaks fondly of his Friday night lights at Withrow’s scenic venue.

“It’s one of the oldest stadiums in Cincinnati,” Mitchell said. “The crowd is crazy. We call it ‘The Jungle’ over there. You’re right there in the center and you’ve got a lot of love and a lot of fans. It’s just like Nippert.”

Away from The Nipp, Mitchell still keeps in contact with old Withrow teammates and coaches and has been over a time or two to watch the current crop of Tigers.

“Coach (Jim) Place is doing a very significant job,” Mitchell said. “He’s getting them to a different level.”

After playing with the likes of Adolphus Washington (Ohio State) and Dwayne Stanford (Oregon) from Taft in high school, UC’s No. 70 is hoping to make his own impact on the college game.

Patience has allowed him to do it in his own backyard.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130.../308260083

(08-26-2013 12:13 PM)eroc Wrote: [ -> ]i know many of us were wondering when Brandon Mitchell would emerge. Emphasis is mine:

Quote:Withrow's Mitchell gets his time on UC line

Aug. 26, 2013 12:25 PM

UC defensive lineman Brandon Mitchell out of Withrow

Written by
Scott Springer

FILED UNDER
Sports
Ohio High School
University Of Cincinnati
UC sophomore Brandon Mitchell awaits his turn in a preseason drill at Camp Higher Ground in Indiana. The defensive lineman from Withrow should be in the Bearcats' rotation this fall. ZOOM
UC sophomore Brandon Mitchell awaits his turn in a preseason drill at Camp Higher Ground in Indiana. The defensive lineman from Withrow should be in the Bearcats' rotation this fall. / Scott Springer/Community Press
CINCINNATI — Patience is not a skill best mastered by young college students.

It is, though, a valuable attribute when hard work is eventually rewarded.

Such is the case of Withrow High School’s Brandon Mitchell. As a first-team performer on the offensive and defensive lines, he came to the University of Cincinnati in 2011.

Though he was an all-Ohio selection for the orange and black in high school, the transition to college wasn’t as easy and Mitchell had to redshirt a year. In 2012, he saw very limited action.

Now, in his third fall since signing his letter-of-intent, Mitchell is ready to make his presence known.

About a mile from where he signed with UC at the Cincinnati Public School Board building, Mitchell is in the defensive rotation. A successful August at the UC’s training camp caught the eye of coach Tommy Tuberville and staff.

“I’m highly proud of myself and my team,” Mitchell said. “I couldn’t have done it without them. I do thank the new coaching staff for coming in and giving me a chance. The old coaching staff really didn’t give me a chance.”

As a sophomore, Mitchell has developed a sense of urgency. Adapting to college life is difficult by itself, let alone when combining athletics and academics.

“I’m putting in a lot more hard work than I did in the past,” Mitchell said. “I’ve matured. They got me strong and tougher and taught me how to fight through a lot of pain.”

Playing for Withrow, Mitchell went both ways and weighed in the 280-290 pound range. He kept the pounds down because he also wrestled in the winter.

His senior year, Mitchell was 19-2 as a heavyweight. With 308 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame now, he uses some of the maneuvers he learned on the mat on the field.

“Wrestling helps a lot,” Mitchell said. “It makes me disciplined, makes me tough, makes me strong, makes me agile and makes my footwork a lot better. They both go hand-in-hand as it taught me how to balance out my weight.”

While he battles on Saturdays at Nippert Stadium, Mitchell still speaks fondly of his Friday night lights at Withrow’s scenic venue.

“It’s one of the oldest stadiums in Cincinnati,” Mitchell said. “The crowd is crazy. We call it ‘The Jungle’ over there. You’re right there in the center and you’ve got a lot of love and a lot of fans. It’s just like Nippert.”

Away from The Nipp, Mitchell still keeps in contact with old Withrow teammates and coaches and has been over a time or two to watch the current crop of Tigers.

“Coach (Jim) Place is doing a very significant job,” Mitchell said. “He’s getting them to a different level.”

After playing with the likes of Adolphus Washington (Ohio State) and Dwayne Stanford (Oregon) from Taft in high school, UC’s No. 70 is hoping to make his own impact on the college game.

Patience has allowed him to do it in his own backyard.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130.../308260083

Maybe the old coaching staff didn't give Brandon a chance because, by his own admission, he was immature and didn't work very hard. (Light bulb goes on!)

I met Brandon at the football open house a few months ago. He was enthusiastic and happy and seemed determined to make an impact now. I think he will.

I also saw him on the field immediately after the open spring game/practice romping with the little camp kids, having fun with them and relating well at his Defensive Line station. As a hometown kid, he's worth rooting for even more!

Brandon is still a redshirt sophomore. So I haven't been surprised that he has yet to see the field. It takes time to develop in order to play in the trenches at this level. I can't think of too many Freshmen or Sophomore DTs that have logged significant minutes in the recent past. Mitchell has the look of a big time DT. We just need him to play like one now.

(08-26-2013 01:52 PM)George Kaplan Wrote: [ -> ]Maybe the old coaching staff didn't give Brandon a chance because, by his own admission, he was immature and didn't work very hard. (Light bulb goes on!)

Perhaps, but does one necessarily follow the other? i make no claims to inside information. i'm very much an outsider looking in. That said, some other posters have mentioned that Sean Hooey (iirc) didn't get a fair shake by the last coaching staff. But even setting that aside, the way Lyle and Co. were seemingly married to Munchie definitely begs the question of whether Brendon Kay was given a fair shot in spring/summer camps. At least it does for me. And that's enough to be slightly skeptical about how Lyle and Co. handled things previously.

^^ I think it was more of the issue that Brandon was still young. As Racinejake notes, he is just a redshirt sophomore. Playing on the defensive line at this level of football is a man's game. It takes a very special, strong and astute 18-19 year old to be able to go toe-to-toe with a 22 year old 300+ pound offensive lineman.