Jalen Mitchell Shines in Louisville's Spring Game

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Heading into the 2022 season, the strongest position group for the Louisville football program very well could be their running back room.

They bring back Trevion Cooley, who as a true freshman showed signs of star potential. Jawhar Jordan also returns after having a great outing in the First Responder Bowl. The Cardinals also made a splash in the transfer portal by bringing in Tennessee's leading rusher in Tiyon Evans.

But you can't forget about Jalen Mitchell. On Sunday during the program's Spring Game, he made sure of that.

The 5-foot-10, 214-pound back was not only the best player on the offensive side of the ball during the scrimmage sessions, he was arguably the best player on the afternoon, totaling three touchdowns. The only players who could have challenged Mitchell for Spring Game MVP were Dorian Jones and Marvin Dallas, who each had pick-sixes.

"Mitchell's that Steady Eddie, man. He brings it every day," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "He's our best pass pro guy as a blocker, he showed today that he can catch out of the ball the backfield. He made some big time plays there, but he also ran the ball hard. He's just really, really consistent, and that's what you want as a football player."

It shouldn't be too surprising to see Mitchell have success. After all, he was Louisville's leading rusher out of the running back room last season, totaling 722 yards and five touchdowns. During the spring game, he put on display his vision at the line of scrimmage, and even looked a little bit faster than he did in 2021.

"We're always trying to increase in speed and increase in agility," Mitchell said. "Speed kills in this game. So I got to keep progressing, keep getting faster to keep up with the speed of the game."

His first touchdown came from just two-yards out on the goal line, but his final two scores showcased something that hadn't previously been in his repertoire. He displayed his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, finding the end zone on 19- and 25-yard throws from Malik Cunningham.

"This whole spring, I've been focusing on catching the ball out of the backfield," he said. "I've been getting in extra work about twice a week catching the ball with the secondary quarterback, Nathan McElroy. Just trying to stay consistent with passing, seeing my reads when it comes to picking up pass protection, and hitting my reads in the run game."

Mitchell credits the deep running back room for the overall improvement in his game. While Cooley had to sit out due to an injury and neither Evans or Jordan had the impact in the spring game that he did, that didn't stop him from wanting to give it his all.

"That's what it's all about," he said. "When you put somebody that's even to you, or even a little bit better than you, you can rise to the occasion. The cream alway rises to the top."

The Spring Game concluded spring ball for the Cardinals, and now Louisville will have the next month off before summer conditioning starts in May. Their 2022 season opener at Syracuse is set for Saturday, Sept. 3.

(Photo of Jalen Mitchell, Malik Cunningham: Michael Clevenger - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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