Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
4 4 M A R C H 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 4 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / W hen Terry Smith started recruiting defensive back Terrell Jackson of Jacksonville, Fla., during the 2021 cycle, he had no idea what that effort would lead to down the road. Jackson didn't end up earning an of- fer from Penn State and is now a rising junior at Central Florida, but the connec- tion created a relationship between Smith and Jackson's father, Cavonte Campbell. In the years since, those ties have played a big role in Smith's success in the Jack- sonville area. Campbell has been training defensive backs in northeast Florida for years and is now an assistant coach at Mandarin High. His relationship with Smith played a big role in cornerback Cam Miller commit- ting to Penn State two years ago, and this past year, the connection led to commit- ments from a pair of Mandarin players: Jon Mitchell and fellow defensive back Antoine Belgrave-Shorter. "I give Terry Smith and Penn State a lot of credit for seeing [Miller's] potential and really going in hard on him before there was a lot of film out there," Campbell said. "They saw his potential early on. Once I took Cam up to Penn State, that's when [the relationship] really started to all fall in place." A year after Miller's visit, Campbell re- turned to State College in October 2022 for the White Out game against Min- nesota, this time with both Mitchell and Belgrave-Shorter. "I knew we had to get those guys up there for the White Out. Jon's mom and dad came, and they absolutely loved it. They're head over heels about Penn State," Campbell said. If the White Out is what sparked their interest in potentially heading north for college, their return visit in March 2023 is what made the Lions the team to beat. After spending three days on campus, Mitchell and his parents had seen enough to feel comfortable with him committing before he left town on April 1. "I just realized that the school is a per- fect fit for me," Mitchell said. "Just getting around Coach [James] Franklin, he's so genuine. He really gets to know his play- ers. He loves his players. Once I spent more time with him, I knew I had to make this move. It's just the right fit." Mitchell's stock was already high at the time, but it improved even more follow- ing an excellent senior season in which he totaled 71 tackles, 15 pass breakups and 4 interceptions. Ranked No. 62 in the na- tion by On3, he is the second-highest- rated player in Penn State's class, trailing only five-star offensive lineman Cooper Cousins. Both Mitchell and Belgrave-Shorter are already on campus and will be pushing for early playing time. "They have the ability and the talent, absolutely," Smith said. "The challenge for high school kids is to learn the system. There are anywhere from one to 10 differ- ent things that can happen on a snap. Can they recall all that information in three seconds? "Some kids can't, and some kids can. … There's no way to tell who's going to do it until they get here. But talent-wise, absolutely." — Ryan Snyder CB | 5-11 | 182 Mandarin High Jacksonville, Fla. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry ★★★★ 104 14 15 On3 ★★★★ 62 9 12 ESPN ★★★★ 131 13 19 Rivals ★★★★ — 37 48 247Sports ★★★★ 116 13 16 Statistics • Totaled 71 tackles, 15 pass breakups, 6 tack- les for loss and 4 interceptions as a senior • Had 37 tackles, 4 pass breakups, 3 tackles for loss and 1 interception as a junior Notable • Three-year letterman • Helped lead Mandarin to a runner-up finish in Florida's 4M state playoffs in 2023 • Brothers Kris (Notre Dame) and Nicholas (Mississippi State) both play college football Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on April 1, 2023 • Recruited by cornerbacks coach Terry Smith • Picked Penn State over Florida State, Miami and Mississippi State • Officially visited on June 9, 2023 2024 Projection Penn State added two transfer cornerbacks in January, but Jon Mitchell and his high school teammate, Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, are both advanced from a technique and size perspec- tive, which was also the case for 2021 signee Kalen King. Both have already enrolled at Penn State. Mitchell needs to add more size to his frame compared to Belgrave-Shorter, but it wouldn't surprise us if he's able to contribute in some manner as a freshman. They Said It BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "Mitchell has a very clean tape with few holes in his pro- file. While he doesn't have outstanding traits in one area, he also doesn't lack anything to the point of deficiency. If we're nitpicking, his length is less than ideal, but many players have that problem and still succeed. With his build and skills, Mitchell should be a high-quality outside cornerback at Penn State. Finding a player in the top 20 of that position is a home run for any recruiting class." T H E M I T C H E L L F I L E Mitchell totaled 71 tackles, 15 pass breakups and 4 interceptions during an outstanding senior season at Mandarin High in Jacksonville, Fla. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 JON MITCHELL Terry Smith's Florida ties bring decorated cornerback to Penn State