New Texas Tech running back Derrick Mitchell, a graduate transfer from Iowa has the chance to have a big impact on the 2017 season. Joe Favia, who covers the Hawkeyes for “Dear Old Gold”, gave us some insights about the new Red Raider.
Kliff Kingsbury has become quite fond of brining graduate transfers into his program. Players like Luke Stice, Emeka Okafor and Sam Atoe have all played their final seasons for Tech after graduating from other universities. Now, running back Derrick Mitchell Jr. is doing the same after graduating from Iowa. Joe Favia, of FanSided’s “Dear Old Gold” shared his thoughts with “Wreck ‘Em Red” about how Mitchell might fit in with Texas Tech.
One of the biggest changes Mitchell will face is learning the “Air Raid” offense. This system is far different from the pro-style offense run by Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. So we asked Favia if Mitchell has the skill set to succeed in Kingsbury’s system.
"“Derrick Mitchell came to Iowa as a wide receiver, and could potentially be the perfect fit for the spread scheme. Iowa runs the Pro-Formation typically between the tackles, and when Mitchell did get his chances he had success. He even got the nickname ‘DMX’ among Iowa fans (I assume due to the ‘explosiveness’ shown). While the sample size is small, when he did play he showed flashes of a big-time playmaker.”"
What stands out is the fact that he was originally a wide receiver. This bodes well for the idea that Mitchell can provide Tech with another threat in the passing game.
On a side note, it is also interesting to see how Iowa takes explosive athletes like wide receivers and converts them to running backs. This is a telling example of what Ferentz wants to do on offense, control the ball and pound the rock.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech is known for moving its best athletes to receiver. Such was the case with former Texas Tech receiver Bradley Marquez who was a star running back in high school.
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We next addressed with Favia, Derrick Mitchell’s unimpressive career stats. For his career, he’s rushed just 27 times for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Favia said that there are a number of reasons for Mitchell’s lack of production.
"“In Iowa’s 2015 Rose Bowl season, Mitchell was the third/fourth option behind senior Jordan Canzeri, Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels. When Canzeri went down, Mitchell had his best game against Northwestern.It was assumed that he would share the starter role last season with Wadley and Daniels in a ‘three-headed monster’ attack.However, it ended up with Daniels and Wadley having big-years, and Mitchell suffering from the injuries and depth chart blues. He is coming off an a 2016 season with nagging injuries which will be interesting to monitor. He also has never been the focal point of an offense, or the starting tailback for that matter.”"
Derrick Mitchell certainly will not be asked to carry the load at Texas Tech in the manner that running backs at Iowa are. He should split time with Da’Leon Ward and Demarcus Felton (JUCO signee Tyrone Nisby could also be in the mix at RB) making it far more likely that he will be able to remain healthy and fresh.
Finally, we asked Favia about what type situation led to Derrick Mitchell’s departure from Iowa. He said that the relationship between the player and the school ended on a positive note.
"“From all indications, it was an amicable move. Mitchell recently graduated from the school, and when players are forced to move from Iowa, Kirk Ferentz usually hints, or comes out with that kind of thing. Basically, he is moving on for ‘greener pastures’. Akrum Wadley is going to get the ball …. and get it some more for Iowa this year, with All-American hopes. And, they have some young players coming, or already on-campus that are waiting in the wings. I think moving on was Mitchell’s best chance to maximize this season in hopes of getting NFL exposure.”"
Kingsbury and his coaches have little room for entitled players or malcontents (which is why so many of those types have left the program in recent years) and Mitchell likely would not have been invited to join the Red Raiders if he were not a high-character individual. Ferentz is a coach with an old-school mentality and if Mitchell could get on board with the culture at Iowa, it stands to reason that he will fit well in the Texas Tech locker room.
It is always a long shot for a graduate transfer to make an impact in only one year at a new school. The adjustment to Texas Tech’s offense will be a challenge for Derrick Mitchell but it appears that he has the talent and mindset necessary to create a role for himself on the 2017 team.
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Special thanks to Joe Favia of “Dear Old Gold” for helping us with this piece. You can follow him on twitter @JFAVMAN and we encourage you to check out “Dear Old Gold” for coverage of the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Big 10.