Jalen Mitchell Approaching Fall Camp With Growth Mentality
(Photo of Jalen Mitchell: ACC Pool)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When Javian Hawkins opted out midway through the 2020 season, it was a big blow for the Louisville football program. In just seven games, the running back had rushed for 822 yards and seven touchdowns, and still finished the year as the Cardinals' leading rusher.
He was already expected to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft, but now Louisville was forced to deal with life after Hawkins sooner than expected. Hassan Hall had been a solid option for Louisville, but he was in the middle of and inconsistent and injury filled season. Maurice Burkley looked good as the starter post-Hawkins, but a lower body injury shelved him for the rest of the season after just two starts.
Entering the final game of the regular season, Jalen Mitchell had looked like a serviceable piece of the running backs rotation. In four prior games, he had rushed for 179 yards on 32 attempts with a pair of touchdowns.
But in the season finale for Louisville, he exploded. The bruising redshirt freshman rushed 168 yards on 20 carries, and nearly scored a pair of touchdowns on 47- and 70-yard runs that saw him come just short of the end zone. He finished the season with 347 yards on 52 attempts to average 6.7 yards per carry.
Just like that, Louisville had presumptively found their next starting running back entering the 2021 season. The program had even listed him as the starter on their preseason depth chart released just before fall camp. But if you ask Mitchell himself, you would think he was on the bottom of the depth chart.
"My mindset everyday is to think I'm the last back on the list. I'm the last option. If I can think I'm the last option, and push myself to be more than that, I succeed," he said. "Just keeping that growth mentality, and knowing that somebody is out there working, and somebody is getting better than you. Whether that be my teammate, or somebody else in the country."
Related: Running Back Rotation Still a Work in Progress for Louisville
As you can imagine, Mitchell has been extremely hard at work over the course of the offseason. An already tough-nosed and physical runner, the 5-foot-10, 221-pound back put on so much muscle that head coach Scott Satterfield joking said Mitchell doesn't need to put him in the weight room any more.
But he been just focusing on his physique. He spent a lot of time in the film room, and it wasn't spent just watching himself on old game film. He dipped into some NFL film, watching guys like Alvin Kamara, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch.
"I basically focused on flexibility, mobility, speed, trying to become a better film watching," he said. "Taking better notes during film, just trying to figure out what I can pick up from other backs. Whether it'd be NFL backs or Louisville film, old game film."
Thanks to his coachable demeanor and growth-oriented mindset, he has been a blessing for new running backs coach De'Rail Sims. Sims has brought a meticulous approach to coaching, such as utilizing your hips to help harness that power generated by your legs and upper body. Mitchell has bought in, and had a "phenomenal job" in the spring and summer leading up to the fall.
"He's a guy that you pretty much have to run out of the building, because he's gonna find a way to always get extra work in," Sims said. "That's what you want. His mindset is tremendous, and his work ethic is off the charts. He's the type of player that you always want to be able to coach, and we're blessed to have him."
Louisville will start the 2021 season against Ole Miss in the annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game, down at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Kickoff is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 6 at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN.
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