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Mississippi State

Nic Mitchell looking for senior season to remember at State

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk08/04/25RobbieFaulkOn3
nic mitchell
Mississippi State LB Nic Mitchell

Over the course of the last five years, Nic Mitchell has seen a lot at Mississippi State.

The Jacksonville, Fla., native was recruited by Mike Leach’s staff and played under the legendary coach for two seasons before dealing with Leach’s passing in 2022. He was in the middle of the transition to his defensive coordinator and position coach Zach Arnett taking over as head coach and he’s now a part of a totally new staff.

Under coach Jeff Lebby and defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler, Mitchell had his most productive season last year. It was a learning experience for everyone involved, but especially for the veteran linebacker.

“You definitely look back at the tape and I had a lot of reps,” Mitchell said of the 2024 season. “600 plus plays is a lot. A lot of good reps and a lot of bad plays that coach Hutzler and I went over this offseason and he grew me through. It’s been great.”

Mitchell’s breakthrough junior season sets the stage for strong senior year

After grabbing just 15 tackles in his first 27 games during 2021-23, Mitchell became a starter for the Bulldogs last year. As a junior, he played in all 12 games and had 80 tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss, three pass deflections and his first career interception.

It was, personally, a good year for Mitchell, but it was a bad year for the State defense. After finishing towards the bottom of the SEC in most defensive categories, the Bulldog staff went out and improved the talent and the depth on the defensive line and at linebacker. It’s made life a lot easier for Mitchell.

“We definitely got some guys that can roll bringing in Jalen (Smith) and (Derion Gullette) and the younger guys are coming along as well. Right now, we’re just steadily progressing. Everybody has been working hard and showing up to work and we all had a great summer. It’s one of the best summers I’ve been a part of for sure,” Mitchell said of the linebackers.

“On the defensive line, you can see the disruption and the vertical presence that cleans it up for me so I can keep my hands clean and rope and go so I can play ball.”

Another new face in the front seven is a familiar one on the defensive side of the ball.

Safety Isaac Smith led the SEC in tackles last season and was one of the top tacklers in the country as a sophomore. This season, his role is expanding to include playing Sam linebacker. It’s added a new dimension to the linebacker room and also some more excitement.

“It’s been fun,” Mitchell said of Smith being at linebacker. “He always brings energy and is the life of the party. If he sees you slacking, he’ll pick you up and if I see him slacking, I’ll pick him up. I love having Isaac in the room.”

All total, State brought in over 50 new players from the transfer portal and in high school and junior college recruiting. In one hand, the changeover in roster talent was needed after a 2-10 season. In the other, there’s always concern about the roster meshing and how long it might take to get everyone on the same page.

Mitchell reports that this team is ready to turn things around at State. Heading into his final season, it’s not hard to figure out where Mitchell stands on the subject.

“Coach Lebby did a great job setting the standard as soon as we came back. We know what happened, it is what it is, and now we’ve got to fix it. We can’t live in the past. You learn from it and move on and he challenged all the guys that came back to bring guys along,” Mitchell said.

“It’s my last year and I don’t want to be no loser. I think of it as when I’m a grandad and my grandkids ask me how was my senior year. I want to be able to tell them that I won.”

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