Texas Football: AD Mitchell’s catch signals change in WR room

I am generally of the belief that there really isn’t too much to take away from a Texas football spring game. Even calling it a “glorified scrimmage” seems too much to me… it really is just a scrimmage. The info received through the weeks of practices is much more reliable than what happens in a single scrimmage.

However, one great insight that a spring game can give is who will play their best ball in a “game” atmosphere. Being in DKR with fans in the stands may bring out the best in some and the worst in others. It is more beneficial to figure out which bucket a player may fall into in April than in September.

Texas has struggled for years at finding players who make those big-time plays in that game atmosphere, especially at the wide receiver position. Xavier Worthy is of course one of those players – but even Worthy is not the type of player to make a spectacular catch that can bail out a quarterback. Sark has done a much better job at recruiting the wide receiver position than his predecessors, but nothing is a given until that player steps up and makes a play in the game.

Enter AD Mitchell.

New Texas football WR AD Mitchell leading a change at the position in 2023

The Georgia transfer came to Austin with a lot of hype and backed it up with this ridiculous catch in the spring game:

Just a spectacular catch. An off-target throw from Ewers that is bailed out by his receiver for a touchdown. And that is the exact thing this offense has been lacking for far too long now. Last year, Quinn had to be essentially perfect for the passing game to move. That is a lot to ask for anyone, much less a redshirt freshman.

A genuine question here – when was the last time a Texas receiver made a play like the one above for a touchdown? That made a play themselves that did not require the perfect pass? It doesn’t happen often around here, if at all. What a boost of confidence for Quinn to know that he does not need to be perfect with every throw, but will be helped out by his receivers when he is able to make the right read and deliver on time.

With Worthy’s elite speed and route running, Jordan Whittington’s YAC ability, Mitchell doing things like this, and a JT Sanders security blanket over it all, this WR room is finally set up to help its quarterback succeed rather than hinder it.

The ability to elevate its quarterback play is a sign of a great receiver room. As Sark continues to build out this room to get to that level, we will start seeing more and more plays like Mitchell’s on the regular at DKR.