Re-al Mitchell is ‘fired up’ for homecoming, transfer to San Diego
SAN DIEGO (BVM) – The first time the world was introduced to Re-al Mitchell, it was alongside Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Mitchell and Fields, who was selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, were featured in the second season of “QB1: Beyond the Lights,” a reality show that followed three high school quarterbacks during their senior seasons.
Fields was the nation’s top-ranked quarterback and committed to Georgia while Mitchell was a talented high school prospect in his own right. The dual-threat was one of 12 QBs selected to the Elite 11 in 2017 and headed to play in the Big 12 at Iowa State.
The next Russell Wilson?
Iowa State landed themselves a stud QB in Re-al Mitchell (h/t @Elite11) pic.twitter.com/8YjzhqaKm8
— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) August 30, 2017
As a junior at St. John Bosco High School, Mitchell threw for 2,932 yards and 30 touchdowns, adding another 1,058 yards and 15 scores on the ground en route to a state title. His senior season, featured on Season 2 of “QB1: Beyond the Lights,” wasn’t nearly as rosy. Although he passed for 708 yards and nine touchdowns, Mitchell split playing time with another QB (now-Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei) and was limited to just six games due to an injury.
See what it's like to play in a nationally televised game as Re-al Mitchell and St. John Bosco go up against Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas on #QB1 ➡️ https://t.co/o5lPzLMqFR pic.twitter.com/IpZ3yD9WAK
— QB1 (@QB1show) March 2, 2018
Mitchell called the opportunity to be featured on the popular reality show “a total dream come true,” despite the less-than-ideal circumstances of his senior campaign. But, to Mitchell, the final product of Season 2 left more to be desired.
“The experience itself was awesome,” Mitchell said. “I grew really close with the film crew, the producers on set, directors and all my teammates loved it. The whole process was a lot of fun but how it was edited, however, is kind of up for debate.
“It made for good TV so that was cool, however, there was some stuff that was probably not included that could’ve told a better, more holistic picture. But that’s the TV industry and how narratives can be created and whatnot. I saw that firsthand at a young age.”
Check out a clip of Re-al Mitchell in QB1 here. pic.twitter.com/gJq53Mhyo1
— Dylan Montz (@dylanmontz) February 23, 2018
The turbulent and public senior season prepared Mitchell for what would be a whirlwind of a collegiate career.
Mitchell enrolled early at Iowa State ahead of the 2018 season and although he saw action in one game as a true freshman, he was able to earn a redshirt. The California native appeared in just five games the next season as the Cyclones’ No. 2 QB. He tossed his first career touchdown pass and ran for a 29-yard score in a blowout win over Louisiana-Monroe, but the limited playing time caused Mitchell to mull his other options.
“As far as the best opportunity for me to play, I had to look elsewhere,” Mitchell said. “It was a really hard decision and I didn’t want to leave. I can’t reiterate how much I loved my time there and I still am a Cyclone at heart.”
Here’s a Crazy Re-Al Mitchell Highlight as we celebrate his time at ISU🌪 @6god_mitchell pic.twitter.com/GcrI8Gul7E
— cyclone.sports🌪 (@clones_sports) January 26, 2020
Mitchell entered the transfer portal in the spring of 2020 just before the Covid-19 pandemic halted official, on-campus visits. It was Temple, the first school to contact Mitchell after entering the transfer portal, that he felt most comfortable picking at the time.
After officially transferring to Temple in the summer of 2020, Mitchell rotated in with Trad Beatty for his first game action as an Owl at Tulane on Halloween. He threw for 103 yards and his first touchdown for Temple the following week vs. No. 18 SMU. Mitchell then earned his first collegiate start the next week at UCF, but would not see any action for the rest of the year.
For the second consecutive season, Mitchell played sparingly, but his time at Temple was meaningful for much more than what was accomplished on the field. Mitchell plans to one day be a sports psychologist and/or mental health coach, and his experiences in Philadelphia helped crystallize those aspirations.
“I was able to make huge strides and an impact on the Temple community as far as creating an organization where we’d meet and have a safe space for all athletes to come and talk,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t foresee myself making as big of an impact as I did here and that was probably the best part about coming to Philadelphia and Temple.”
In late September, Mitchell announced that he was “excited for my next opportunity to impact a university and football program.”
Thank you Temple University. I gave you my all. I will be a proud alumnus soon.
With 2 years remaining of my eligibility, I am excited for my next opportunity to impact a University and football program. pic.twitter.com/pvisI95DSI— Re-al Mitchell (@realmitchellqb) September 27, 2021
For the third time in three years, Mitchell was looking for a new home. It wasn’t at all how Mitchell envisioned his collegiate career going, but that doesn’t mean the experiences haven’t been valuable.
“I’ve gained so much experience, whether it’s depth charts or social experiences, that I’ll be able to give back to kids once I’m done playing, whenever that is,” Mitchell said. “You have to look at everything as a blessing, at least I do, in the sense that sure I’m not playing as much as I want to, but how can I take positives away from the experiences I’m having? That’s kind of how I’ve gone about the past couple of years.
“Obviously you want to go to a Power 5 school, start, be the hometown hero and all that cool stuff. I was able to taste a little bit of that, I’m happy I was able to and I’m happy I’m also able to move to different schools and experience new things because in this day and age, kind of everybody is transferring. So I’ll be able to give my two cents once I become a professional mental sports coach and help people that way.”
With a wealth of maturity and experience, Mitchell’s journey has nearly come full circle. On Nov. 1, the California native announced he was coming home.
I’m coming home. @USDFootball @CoachChapatte @Coach_Sutt pic.twitter.com/ZqtFq55A6W
— Re-al Mitchell (@realmitchellqb) November 2, 2021
Mitchell has committed to the University of San Diego, something he almost did following his departure from Iowa State.
“Back when I was coming out of Iowa State, it was between San Diego and Temple; not a lot of people know that,” Mitchell said. “I really wanted to go to San Diego the first time around. I got in contact with the coaches, they seemed to be really cool and genuine and why not try and go play at a beautiful place like San Diego? I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to go to San Diego again. They really wanted me and I can see myself coming in and making a huge impact there, not only in the community but on the field, and hopefully make a playoff run.
“I’m fired up; words can’t express how happy I am to be back.”
Mitchell hopes to bring his leadership and dual-threat ability to a Toreros squad that finished the 2021 season on a seven-game winning streak to finish 7-4. With two years of eligibility remaining, Mitchell has plenty of time to make the most of his homecoming after a wild four years.
“With a non-scholarship school, there’s going to be a lot of stereotypes about it and I’m just hoping I can help prove that stereotype wrong,” Mitchell said. “Just like everybody else, I’m paying to go to school and we’ll be playing against scholarship schools so beating that stigma and beating those teams that might be overlooking us is what I really want to do at San Diego.”
