QB Will Mitchell Will Be Ready For His Chance
An opportunity to prove he can compete with the best.
That’s all Will Mitchell has ever really wanted.
Despite loads of hard work and sacrifices — because of circumstances well beyond his control — it’s an opportunity Mitchell is still waiting to fully receive.
And with Mitchell on the cusp of finally realizing that opportunity, there’s a very real chance it could be delayed again.
Growing up in Saco, Maine, Mitchell was a standout quarterback through his sophomore year at Thornton Academy. That’s when Mitchell decided to bet on himself.
“I realized it just wasn’t a big enough stage and wasn’t going to fit my aspirations for what I wanted to do,” he says.
“My father and I decided to go down to Florida. I moved down to a prep school down there. I just tried to expand my knowledge as a quarterback and football player.”
Mitchell eventually enrolled at Superior Collegiate Academy in Clearwater, Fla.
He was searching for more exposure and the opportunity to perform in front of big-time college scouts. Mitchell got a taste of both and more under the tutelage of head coach and quarterback coach BJ Hall.
“He really mentored me and got me where I needed to be as a quarterback,” Mitchell says of Hall. “I went down there and realized I just didn’t know anything about the game. I was just good. I could throw the ball. I never knew how to throw the ball, why I missed throws, footwork, how to read defenses, anything.
“I went down there and he really taught me the game, Every day, we’d work out during lunch and then after, we’d get in the weight room and then we’d throw the whole offseason. He really mentored me.”
Hall was excited about Mitchell’s potential to play at a high level in college, announcing on Twitter that Mitchell had the “size and arm strength to make any throw on the field.”
And ultimately, Hall did get him in front of college coaches and helped Mitchell score his first scholarship offer, from Southern Mississippi.
But Hall was fired before Mitchell’s senior season at Superior Collegiate.
“I guess that’s just how the world works,” says Mitchell. “Once he got fired, it was really just a matter of time until I left as well.”
Mitchell moved back to the Northeast last December and finished the academic year at Thornton Academy.
Still, he doesn’t regret his time in Florida.
“It was a lot of fun,” he says. “There were a lot of unexpected turns, but I did exactly what I wanted to do when I went down there.”
Mitchell also had the chance to play with and against some of the nation’s top-rated recruits in a national 7–on-7 Adidas tournament in Tampa.
“It’s just a great experience to play with some of the best players,” he says. “I played with dudes from California and played against Chad Ochocinco’s team. We had a couple kids on my team who were five-stars.
“You just realize they’re the same athlete as you. They walk the same as you, they breath the same as you. I’ve never been a big fan of idolizing people, those are the guys I’m competing with. I feel like a lot of people idolize those kids. I just look at them as the same as me.”
Since returning to the Northeast, Mitchell has been getting ready to do a post-grad year and play quarterback at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Massachusetts this season.
Prior to the move back, his father connected with Steve Martin of Excel Sports Academy via social media, which eventually led to a session with Excel Founder/Quarterbacks Coach Tommy Guy.
“We had the first training session and it was just awesome from there and decided we might as well keep doing it,” says Mitchell.
“I’ve just been training hard, doing what I can, just getting it in with Tommy. I’m eager, I’m super eager just to get on the field.”
Guy is convinced Mitchell has what it takes to play at the FBS level.
“He’s got the size, arm strength, athletic ability, leadership qualities and the academics,” says Guy. “I have been most impressed with how fast Will picks up new things and how much he improves each week.
“He will compete with anyone and will never shy away from competition. Will is a very self-motivated young man and has a bright future in this game.”
Mitchell is pleased with the fact he landed with Guy and Excel.
“Tommy is really good at focusing on minor, minor, minor details that are huge,” he says. “In quarterback play, it can be the littlest things; whether your foot is turned the right way or the follow-through, where it’s landing.
“He just pays attention to detail and that’s huge. He makes sure I focus on every rep and that every rep is the same. As a quarterback, you have to be consistent. He’s ultra-focused on that.”
In addition to the technical aspect of playing the position, it’s obvious Guy has brought additional comfort and confidence to Mitchell’s game.
“His presence, I don’t really know how to explain it, but him just being there, he’s very encouraging,” says Mitchell. “You make a bad throw and he’s still encouraging. He just puts stuff in perspective.
“A big thing with me is that I always want to throw a spiral. I want to put it on the money and I want it to be a spiral. He’s always telling me, ‘If the ball gets there and gets there at the speed it needs to get there, it’s fine, don’t worry about it. Just get it out there.’ He just lifts me up and I feel confident throwing the ball.”
After a winding road from the top of the East Coast to the bottom and back again, this fall was finally going to be Mitchell’s chance to prove what he can do. He’s got the offer from Southern Miss and has been in touch with a host of other schools, including Marshall, Tennessee-Martin and some Ivy League programs. He was ready to use the 2020 season to show those schools — and others — that he’s worthy of a scholarship offer.
But all of that is now in jeopardy with the potential of the season being postponed because of COVID-19 concerns. Regardless of how things play out this season, Guy knows it’s only a matter of time before Mitchell proves what he can do.
“He will continue to train and improve and be ready when the time comes to play again.”
