Clemson is in a good position with some of the best prospects in the 2023 class.
Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson 2023 five-star cornerback Tony Mitchell is the nation’s No. 1 player at his position and No. 10 prospect for the ’23 class, per 247Sports Composite rankings.
The Clemson Insider recently checked back in with Mitchell regarding his current recruitment and what he’s been hearing from Clemson as of late.
Mitchell’s main points of contact at Clemson are cornerbacks coach Mike Reed and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates.
“I’ve just been talking with Coach Reed and Coach Bates and they’ve just been talking about how I really fit into the defensive system there,” he told TCI. “They want me. Just talking about how great the program is and how I’d benefit from coming there.”
Mitchell has been told that he’s similar to A.J. Terell and Trayvon Mullen, and would potentially fit into Brent Venables’ defense like those two former Tigers cornerbacks.
According to Mitchell, Clemson likes his physicality, size and versatility. He can play anywhere in the defensive backfield.
If Mitchell were to end up at Clemson, it would give him a lot of confidence that the coaching staff knows how to develop cornerbacks and help them reach the next level, he said.
Mitchell currently considers Clemson to be one of his top schools at the moment. The Alabama cornerback would like to make a top-10 list in the near future, potentially before his junior season.
He’ll make his way up to The Valley for a game this season. He’s not sure which one just yet, but he’s “for sure” going to be there.
Those are conversations that Mitchell has had with Clemson’s coaching staff, but more importantly, he’s gotten to know Reed and Bates on a personal level.
“We’re real close,” Mitchell said. “They’ve got to know my family and I’ve been talking with those guys since my freshman year, so we got a really good relationship.”
“It’s been really good getting to talk to a lot of these coaches and starting to build relationships with a lot of different people and just getting to know everyone,” he added.
This summer has allowed Mitchell to hit the recruiting trail. Something that wasn’t available to prospects around the country last year due to the ongoing pandemic.
Mitchell is grateful for what’s been able to do for his recruitment process.
“It’s been very good,” Mitchell said. “I’m glad we got visits in June, getting to see coaches. It’s been over a year and some months. It was good to see them again, getting to see some schools I haven’t been to before. It’s really going to help my recruitment process.”
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