Coach Analysis: Miguel Mitchell
Vanderbilt recently picked up a commitment from Alabama safety Miguel Mitchell. The 6-foot-3 and 200-pound safety chose Vanderbilt over Wake Forest, Memphis, Liberty, and others. We caught up with Oxford head coach Sam Adams about the new Commodore commitment.
VandySports.com: What type of player can Vanderbilt fans expect in Miguel Mitchell?
Sam Adams: “I think the most important stuff isn’t about how he plays the game on the field. It goes back to what type of human being that he is. He is one of those kids that you love talking about and promoting as he is an excellent representation of Oxford High School and his family. He is the type of young man that everyone would want in their program. Football wise, he can cover a great amount of ground without ever looking like he’s putting that much effort into it if that makes sense. He’s one of those effortless looking athletes in a very good way. He’s always going to play the game the right way. He’s violent at contact, and he can do a lot of things on the field. I believe his most natural position would be safety, but he could play corner or the nickel position. He can do a whole lot of things.”
VS: What is the best individual play that you’ve seen from Vanderbilt’s newest commit?
SA: “I’ve only been the head coach at Oxford for a few months now. I can tell you the exact play though. If you go back to the 2019 state championship game against Spanish Fort, Oxford was about to kick a field goal and it was blocked. Miguel was on the field goal protection team. They were close to a scoop and score. From pure effort and being a great teammate, Miguel was able to run the guy down before he gets to the goal line on the other end of the field. It holds them from a touchdown, and they go on to stop them. That one play led to a state championship for Oxford. That’s a play that no one would have ever known if Miguel would have trotted and let play pass in front of him. It meant that much to him and he gave the effort to make the big stop there. It’s an inspiring play.“
VS: What area of his game needs improvement heading into his senior season?
SA: “I can’t give you a great answer on that right now. I’ve seen him so little. He plays baseball, and he’s really good at it. I’m not sure if you are aware of that. He can get up to mid to upper-80’s from the mound as a right handed pitcher. So I wasn’t able to see him in this spring. In football, I’ve only been around him in June. He’s got great ball skills. He covers well. He’s really aggressive and a great tackler. There’s nothing in his game that I see as a glaring weakness. Obviously, he can improve on all of those things that he’s already good at. I think the sky is the limit for him. Vanderbilt is getting an absolute steal.”
VS: What type of leader is he? Does he lead vocally or by example?
SA: “He is more of a lead by example type of guy. Miguel is a quiet natured kid, but he is always going to be exactly where he is supposed be and with the people that he is supposed to be with. He’s a guy that everyone else can look to and think to themselves- 'I want to do it like Miguel'. He’s more of a lead by example type.”
VS: How will his skill set translate to the college game?
SA: “I think he’s so versatile and can do so many things for you. I don’t see any reason why they would do this, but if they asked him to add a bunch of weight to play outside linebacker. He could do that. I can see him playing corner, safety, or nickel. I can see him doing anything on the field. In today’s game, it is all about match ups. Having a guy that is versatile like him can do so much for your defense. For us on the high school level, I would be comfortable with him playing inside linebacker. He doesn’t do that, and we will probably never ask him to do that. If he went in there, he’d make stops like he’s been doing all of his life. I think his athletic ability paired with the fact that he is a really fast learner adds so much to his tool box.”