Sports
Keeping it Local - Plant High School's Mitchell Wright
The Panther linebacker has a strong sense of commitment.
On July 17, Plant High's Mitchell Wright signed a commitment to play college football at the University South Florida. A Panther commitment is a solid one.
"There's no way I would change my mind at this point where I'm going to go," said Wright. "Coach (Robert) Weiner has always taught us to be men of our word."
In Weiner's eight years, only one recruit has ever de-committed.
Find out what's happening in Tampawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
It seems strange that a recruit already having another Division I offer from Boston College, a well-known school for linebackers, would choose USF, but there were a few factors that played into his signing with the Bulls.
One is the type of linebacker he is. He's being recruited as a linebacker, but he plays both linebacker and defensive end for Plant, a hybrid position that the Bulls like to use.
Find out what's happening in Tampawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"(Wright's) one of those guys, hand in the dirt, beat you off the line of scrimmage, or he can line up with your best receiver and cover him," said Panther defensive coordinatior John Few. "He would do well in that (USF) system."
Another factor was USF itself.
"I just felt a connection right away with the coaches and the staff," said Wright. "Coach Chris Cosh, Coach Rick Smith, I felt like I had an immediate rapport with them."
The university's close proximity to his home was not lost on the player either.
"USF is nice because I don't have to stay at home but I could go home whenever I wanted to," Wright said.
Wright got USF's attention last year when he won the individiual big man championship at the Heath Evans Invitational in 2011 and came in second at this year's. This is a "Big Man's Challenge," mind you. Wright is maybe 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, but he took second place in the tire flip. This year at USF Sling and Shoot, he played a part in the 7-on-7 competition and has been spotted in Panther passing formations.
"Just practicing with (the receivers) and seeing how they approach what they do has really helped this summer," said Wright.
If versatility is what you are looking for in a linebacker, you've found it in Mitchell Wright. And Wright seems to have found what he was looking for, right in his own hometown.
