Getty Tony Mitchell is remaining with Alabama football despite rumors he could be flipped to Texas A&M or Auburn
Tony Mitchell has signed his national letter of intent with Alabama football, putting to end months of unrest regarding the idea that the 4-star safety from perennial Alabama high school powerhouse Thompson could be flipped by the Texas A&M or Auburn coaching staffs.
Mitchell initially committed to Tennessee as an eighth-grader, but later backed off upon realizing he wasn’t a fit — and perhaps was being swept up in the moment during his early teen years. “I just wasn’t feeling it anymore,” Mitchell said after decommitting via 247Sports back on March 10, 2020. “It wasn’t the place I was meant to be at the time.”
Mitchell is now officially a member of the No. 1 recruiting class for the 2023 cycle. This will be the second No. 1 recruiting class for Nick Saban and co. in the last three seasons.
Texas A&M and Auburn Were Recruiting Tony Mitchell Hard
Tony Mitchell ended up sticking with Alabama football, the closest Power Five program to his hometown of Alabaster, Alabama, but it wasn’t without a serious fight from SEC West rivals Texas A&M and Auburn.
Mitchell spoke glowingly of Jimbo Fisher’s courtship, lauding his genuine efforts to make him feel welcomed at Texas A&M. “They really show they want me,” Mitchell told Touchdown Alabama during the 2022 season. “They stay in contact with me every day. Coach Jimbo, coach Rushing, really just the whole entire staff. So, they showing a lot of interest. They care about my family. They got relationships with my people and that means a lot to me.”
Mitchell added that Auburn secondary coach Zac Etheridge and his staff sold him a vision of being a program-changer for a Tigers team that has struggled the past three seasons. “Them guys stay in contact with me every day as well, just pushing how they need me, come change the program and stuff like that,” said Mitchell.
Alabama Football ‘Getting a Great Kid’ on Offensive Line
Among the many blue-chip prospects committing to Alabama football on Early National Signing Day is 5-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, a Des Moines (Iowa) Southeast Polk product.
Proctor’s high school coach, Brad Zelenovich, couldn’t have been more complimentary of the six-foot-seven, 330 pound brick wall. “They’re getting a great kid,” he said to BamaOnline. “He’s obviously extremely talented physically. That’s undeniable. The measurables, the skillset he possesses, obviously they’re getting a heck of a football player. But for us, he’s been a fantastic teammate, a three-year starter for us. He’s helped, along with some other guys, to take this program to an elite-level status in the biggest class in Iowa, which we’re forever grateful for.”
Zelenovich projected that the sky is the limit for Proctor in Tuscaloosa. “You get a kid like him, who’s as high-profiled as he is, sometimes their high school careers don’t necessarily end up like that,” he said. “So we’re proud of that. He loves his teammates, he loves Southeast Polk football, he loves competing for championships and winning championships. Alabama’s getting a great competitor. He’s a good football player, who’s a good person. He’ll fit in nicely with the standard that’s been established down there. The sky’s the limit.”