All-First Coast: Football family started Mandarin's Jon Mitchell on winning road

Maybe there was always something a little special about Jon Mitchell, even before he first stepped onto the high school field.

How many people can say they taught a new move to a future Notre Dame wide receiver?

Jon Mitchell can. Just ask his older brother, Kris.

"He taught me how to backflip," said Kris Mitchell, who broke school receiving records at Florida International before transferring to Notre Dame last month for his final season of college eligibility. "So he's always been a great athlete."

Following in the footsteps of a famed football family, he can now claim bragging rights in a new way: The fourth and youngest brother, now a four-star Mandarin senior cornerback, is the Times-Union's All-First Coast player of the year on defense for Northeast Florida in 2023.

He joins Sam Cowart (1992), Chris Anderson (2001) and Carson Beck (2018) as All-First Coast players of the year from Mandarin.

Lining up in an electrifying Mandarin secondary that includes two more major college prospects in junior safety Hylton (Drake) Stubbs and fellow Penn State signee A.J. Belgrave-Shorter, he helped the Mustangs to four playoff road playoff wins on the way to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4M final.

Mitchell recorded four interceptions, four forced fumbles and 71 tackles, growing into an all-around athlete at defensive back with the skills to stop the run, rush the passer and lock down some of the best receivers in Florida.

Next up: Penn State, where he's enrolling early at Happy Valley to add new zip to the Nittany Lions' secondary in an already-strong and now expanding Big Ten football scene. He selected Penn State ahead of Florida State, Miami and Mississippi State.

"I've seen all my brothers go through it [college football]," he said. "It's my turn now."

ROAD TO HAPPY VALLEY

The road to Happy Valley begins at home.

That's where Jon Mitchell got his football start. Surrounded by parents Kevin and Nicole Mitchell, and brothers Justin, Kris and Nic — all of them eventual Division I players — maybe Jon's journey to the college gridiron was inevitable.

At least, count his father, Kevin, among those who's not surprised to see the entire set of brothers in college athletics.

"We knew exactly what they were going to do," he said.

Justin, the oldest, lined up on the defensive line and played college football at Harvard. Kris Mitchell lined up at wide receiver, helping Mandarin to its first-ever state championship in 2018 and signing with FIU on his way to Notre Dame. Nic, the third-oldest, was also on Mandarin's 2018 state championship roster as an edge rusher and now plays at Mississippi State.

Starting out against bigger, stronger, faster brothers, Jon quickly learned how to make his way to the top against athletes his own age.

"His brothers all say he's the best athlete of the family," Nicole Mitchell said.

In this family, that's a big-time achievement.

"We would be just playing catch with each other, playing football, just having fun with the game," Kris Mitchell said. "So this is crazy to see us now all playing at the collegiate level."

The last three years, Jon Mitchell has kept the family tradition going inside the Corral on his own — although he was a member of the varsity roster in 2020 when Nic was a senior, he wasn't yet receiving extensive playing time.

As Mustangs head coach Toby Bullock acknowledged at the Dec. 20 signing ceremony, the youngest brother's graduation means the end of an era at the Corral.

"I just can't tell you how much we're going to miss you," Bullock said.

MITCHELL FINDS HOME AT DEFENSIVE BACK

One defensive tackle, one wide receiver and one edge rusher. Why not add cornerback to the family's list?

That's where Jon found his home on the football field, adapting to the defensive side of the ball after starting out as an all-around athlete at multiple positions including quarterback.

Learning how to match up against elite receivers was one skill that even his brothers couldn't completely teach. With 100-meter speed timed at 11.06 when he was a sophomore — he doesn't currently compete in track, but he's even faster now — he's got the quickness to win matchups on the outside, again and again.

"I can't go out there and play like that [at DB]," Nic Mitchell said. "That's all him and how God blessed him with his abilities."

Once he arrived at Mandarin and completed his transition from the offensive side, Jon Mitchell won steady playing time as a sophomore with two picks and nine pass breakups. He didn't let up in his junior and senior years, winning accolades for his work ethic, attitude and all-around performance.

This year, joining Belgrave-Shorter, Stubbs and senior teammates like Tyler Jackson and Joshua Burton, Mitchell showed off his skills against a host of senior college QB prospects. That roll call includes Fletcher's Marcelis Tate (USF signee), Bolles' DJ Moore (Coastal Carolina), Bartram Trail's Riley Trujillo (UCF), Monarch's AJ Hairston (UMass) and Miami Columbus' Alberto Mendoza (Indiana). The Mustangs' opponents also included underclassman prospects like Creekside's Sean Ashenfelder, Fleming Island's Cibastian Broughton and two meetings with Lake Mary's superstar sophomore Noah Grubbs.

He also saved some of his best football for the game that mattered most, forcing two turnovers in the Class 4M championship game against Miami Columbus.

Appropriately enough, he completed his high school football journey with his family joining him inside the Mustangs' gym on Dec. 20.

Along with his parents, older brothers Kris and Nic both made the trip home for the signing ceremony. Now, they'll be cheering on his next moves from Jacksonville, or from South Bend, or from Starkville.

"It's a brotherhood," Nic Mitchell said. "We love each other, and we always liked to compete with each other, help make each other better."

Jon Mitchell isn't focused on being flashy at his next destination. Instead, Nittany Lion backers can expect more of the same: Quiet, determined, polished football. After his early enrollment at Penn State, he's ready for the next step in his football journey, just the way he learned at home.

"I'm ready to get up there and show what I'm all about," Jon Mitchell said. "I'm going to work hard and get out on the field."

ALL-FIRST COAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jon Mitchell

Senior, Mandarin

Age: 18

Resume: Made 71 tackles (six for loss) with four interceptions, four forced fumbles and a sack. … Three-year starter at cornerback. … Has also competed in track, running an 11.06 100-meter dash early in sophomore season. … Ranked as a four-star prospect and a top-15 cornerback nationwide by 247Sports, On3 and ESPN. … Signed with Penn State.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: All-First Coast football: Jon Mitchell, 2023 defensive player of year