Mike Mitchell‘s decision to sign with Ohio State a couple of years ago didn’t work out for him, so he decided to transfer to Texas Tech. A year and a half later? Maybe the third football program will be a charm.
Thursday night, Tech announced that the defensive lineman/linebacker was one of three players who have decided to leave the football program with the intention of transferring. No reason was given for any of the departures.
After deciding to transfer from OSU to Tech in May of 2014, Mitchell, a waiver for immediate eligibility denied, was forced to sit out the 2014 season. In 2015, Mitchell played in nine games and was credited with seven tackles.
A five-star member of the Buckeyes’ 2013 recruiting class, Mitchell was the No. 1 player at any position in the talent-rich state of Texas; the No. 3 outside linebacker in the country; and the No. 26 player overall according to Rivals.com. He took a redshirt as a true freshman at OSU before deciding to transfer the first time, reportedly to be closer to his ailing father in Texas.
In addition to Mitchell, Tech confirmed that sophomore defensive back Jalen Barnes and sophomore defensive back Derrick Dixon have also decided to leave the program. Barnes played in 15 games the past two seasons, starting one game in 2014. Dixon played in 14 games the past two seasons, just three of which came in 2015.