Texas overcomes Georgia, Texas A&M for four-star DL Sydir Mitchell
Texas A&M was Sydir Mitchell‘s top school for the better part of a year and a half. Then it was Georgia, which led through most of the spring and early summer. But ultimately, Steve Sarkisian and Texas won out, earning the four-star defensive lineman’s commitment on Sunday evening.
“Yesterday, I sat down with myself and I said, ‘What’s the best place for me?’ You’ve seen all the schools and asked all the questions,” Mitchell told On3. “So what is it going to be? I felt like (Texas defensive line coach) Bo Davis is going to prepare me to be the best that I can. And no disrespect to any of the other coaches recruiting me. I felt like they could prepare me for the next level, but Coach Davis he’s been in this a long time, and it was the perfect fit for me.”
The 6-foot-4, 345-pounder, who ranks as the nation’s No. 321 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus, was all Bulldogs until recently. But Bo Davis’ pursuit of him, as well as an official visit to Austin last month, flipped things toward the Longhorns.
“I felt really comfortable with Georgia,” Mitchell said. It was a good thing, and at that point in time it would’ve been a good decision. But I took a step back and really thought about it — Texas was a good place for me. … Coach Davis, he broke things down with me and talked to me, and I felt really good about it. He trusts in my game and what I can do. And that’s what I need in a coach.”
Texas sees Sydir Mitchell in multiple positions
The relationship with Davis was arguably the Longhorns’ biggest selling point in Mitchell’s eyes. The two have developed a close relationship, and Davis sees their newest commit as a versatile player capable of playing multiple spots on the line.
“He was talking about how they want to play me in multiple positions, and not every school was talking to me about that,” Mitchell added. “And that’s where I felt like that I’m a good enough player to play multiple positions. I’m a bigger guy, but I can move at the same time.”
Longhorns have major recruitment momentum
Mitchell is Texas’ 11th commitment in the past 10 days, joining a recruiting class that has skyrocketed up the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. That momentum is palpable, he says, and the group Sarkisian and Co. are building feels like they can be a foundational class in the Longhorns’ return to glory.
“We feel like we can come together and be great,” he said. “With Texas going to the SEC, we feel like we can change this program. “Arch (Manning) started that for us, and we’re just filling in the pieces and trying to become how the old Texas was. We’re trying to let the SEC know we can play with anybody.”
His connection to both the other recruits and current players already on the roster was just icing on the cake for Sydir Mitchell.
“I felt real comfortable around the players,” he said. “Getting out there, talking to them, chilling with them, I felt really good about the situation. I talked to them about Coach Bo and how he’s handled things and how he practices, and they said he is a great guy. With the players and with him, I felt like I was in a great situation.”