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Mississippi State

100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 40 Days - No. 40 LB Nic Mitchell

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk07/21/25RobbieFaulkOn3
nic mitchell3
Mississippi State LB Nic MItchell (Photo by Jared Thomas, Maroon and White Daily)

Year two of the Jeff Lebby era has arrived and the Mississippi State coach is back to work.

After a disappointing first season, the coach and his staff are doing what they can to get things back on track in Starkville. The players on the field will be the difference for State this season if they are to make a return and we’re going to discuss every single one of them over the course of the next few months.

As we do every year, we’re counting down 100 days until State’s first game at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg on August 30. Over this period of time, we’ll breakdown every scholarship player on the roster, look back at great moments in MSU history and even talk about legends that have come before the current Bulldogs.

Today, we look at a veteran linebacker who is looking for a strong finish.  

40 Days: No. 40, Sr. LB Nic Mitchell  

The Mike Leach era is beginning to dwindle on the State roster, but Mitchell is one of those remaining.

The Jacksonville, Fla., native has seen it all during his time at State. He was part of the highs as a defender on a nine-win team in 2022 and the lows of a 2-10 season a year ago. He’s played for three different head coaches and he’s been through his own adversity along the way. However, he has continued to stay the course.

When he was first identified by former State linebackers coach turned defensive coordinator Matt Brock, Mitchell was under most radars. Brock recruited him mostly off of film during the Covid 19 pandemic and he saw a player that had the ability to be a steal in the class.

Mitchell picked up offers from Tulane, Southern Miss, South Alabama, Marshall, Liberty, Coastal Carolina and other Group of 5 schools with State and Maryland representing the Power 4 teams in the mix. The three-star played ball at Mandarin High School and played for a Class 8A state championship his sophomore season.

He had 3.0 sacks that season and it set the stage for a breakthrough junior campaign. That season, Mitchell made 60 tackles before a monster senior season in 2020 when he corralled 97 tackles with 17.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks, two recovered fumbles, two forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown.

It’s truly been an old school developmental process for Mitchell since he arrived in Starkville. His 2021 season consisted of a redshirt, but he got two games in and made three tackles. Each of the last three seasons, Mitchell has played in every game in some capacity.

2022 saw him play mostly special teams and he had five tackles in 13 games. In 2023, Mitchell had seven tackles in 12 games. He entered last year as a starter on defense for the first time and there were some challenges for a player that had a career 15 tackles coming into the season.

Mitchell would manage to make 80 tackles in 12 games and he added 3.0 TFL, three pass deflections and an interception. There’s more depth at the linebacker position this year so he will be in for a battle for reps this season, but not many players have put together the experience like Mitchell.

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