Transfer Mitchell Brings 'Savvy, Veteran Leadership' to Vols' Inside Linebacker Group
Juwan Mitchell transferred from Texas to Tennessee in the Spring, and he immediately became a fan-favorite in Knoxville as lofty expectations surfaced for him in the middle of the Volunteers defense.
Mitchell played in all ten games last season for the Longhorns, including eight starts, in which he racked up a team-best 62 tackles.
Adding a player of Mitchell's caliber to the middle of the defense was imperative for Tennessee, as the departures of Henry To'o To'o and Quavaris Crouch accounted for all of the starts at inside linebacker last fall.
Mitchell joined the Vols in June, and he is now in full swing working with the team in fall camp and his position Coach Brian Jean-Mary had high praise for him today.
"The biggest thing with Juwan, the group of guys we have because it is so young and they haven't had real collegiate experience, he brings a lot of that," Jean-Mary said. "He has played major college football. He was a starter in another Power Five conference."
"He brings a lot of savvy and veteran leadership, which is what this group needs," Jean-Mary added. "He is a welcomed addition for our unit."
Jean-Mary was hesitant to go into an assessment of the transfer linebacker to this point, as he wants to see each person in his room in a scrimmage setting.
"Again, savviness as far seeing formations, knowing where to line up and where adjustments are just because he has been a part of two pretty complex systems at the University he was at last time," Jean-Mary stated. "That has been the number one thing. We just kind of got in pads, so we finally got to the physical part of it , and he did a good job there, but we want to get to a scrimmage before we put the permanent evaluation on."
Jean-Mary will not have to wait long to see Mitchell in the scrimmage setting as the Vols are set to host their first closed scrimmage of the fall on Thursday morning.
Mitchell, along with Jeremy Banks, Solon Page II, Morven Joseph, and Pak Garland have all had strong starts to fall camp at the inside linebacker position, as both Aaron Willis and Aaron Beasley work to get back in shape with the team after missing the spring for various reasons.
