Mississippi State safety Tony Mitchell plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal

Mississippi State junior safety Tony Mitchell plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal after one season with the Bulldogs, On3’s Pete Nakos reports.

In his lone season at MSU, Mitchell totaled 25 tackles and four tackles for loss while playing in 11 games. He signed with the Bulldogs last year after spending one season apiece at East Mississippi Community College and the University of Alabama, where he signed out of high school.

During his lone season at EMCC, Mitchell played in seven games and notched 16 tackles while forcing and recovering one fumble. With the Tide, he played in seven games as a true freshman, primarily on special teams.

Now he’ll searching for his fourth school in four years after coming out of Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson as one of the nation’s top safeties in the 2023 class.

He helped lead the program to three consecutive state titles and was tabbed as the nation’s No. 10 overall safety prospect, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

Mitchell was one of Alabama’s most sought-after recruits

In-state programs Alabama and Auburn battled over his commitment, with the Crimson Tide holding onto him on National Signing Day and adding him to what would be Nick Saban’s final recruiting class. Just three months later though, he was arrested and suspended in March 2023 after fleeing arrest and driving 141 miles per hour in Florida.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions; there’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Saban said at a spring practice news conference. “Gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around, what you do and who you associate with and the situations you put yourself in. It is what it is but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

He was ultimately sentenced to three years of probation with a fine and community service after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana. Mitchell was later reinstated to the team and played his true freshman season before entering the transfer portal.

In June 2024, he signed with EMCC, one of the nation’s premier junior college programs. After his lone season there, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and others pursued him, with the Bulldogs ultimately landing him.

But after one season in Starkville, he will seek greener pastures with one year of eligibility left.