Sports often serve as a metaphor for life, their many parallels inspiring resilience and grace under pressure. Just as humans must grow and adapt to thrive in an ever-changing society, so must athletes evolve to fit the demands of innovative game plans and schemes. Less than a decade ago, every college and professional football team looked to find the next Calvin Johnson or Julio Jones, a towering physical specimen with a strong frame and explosive leaping ability to make contested catches over defenders. Now, teams prioritize speed over size, identifying outside receivers with great acceleration and elusiveness to generate separation.
Though rising sophomores Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison make big plays from the slot, the Irish lack a deep threat that plays outside the numbers. The addition of speedster Kris Mitchell, a graduate student transfer from Florida International University, provides the wide receiver room with much-needed explosiveness the offense lacked last season.
Mitchell claims to run a 4.3-second 40-yard dash, a time that would rank third at the 2024 NFL Combine. He also asserted that GPS-tracking equipment recorded his top speed at 22 miles per hour during practice last season.
Though self-reported speed claims from athletes have proven to be as reliable as height claims on dating apps, Mitchell’s elite production at FIU proves he can take the top off any defense. At the very least, he’s faster than any defender who tried (and failed) to contain him last season.
Hauling in 64 catches for 1,118 yards and six touchdowns, Mitchell led Conference USA in receiving yards in 2023. His improved route-running and increased strength bolstered his ability to make plays after the catch. He possesses an elite ability to stretch the field, having received 31 targets last season on throws over 20 yards, good for fifth in the FBS. Mitchell brought in 14 of those targets for 578 yards and four touchdowns. Only five players caught more deep targets than Mitchell last season, four of whom project as first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Some of his best performances came against the toughest defenses on the Panthers’ schedule, tallying six receptions for 157 yards in a loss to Arkansas and catching eight passes for 116 yards against Western Kentucky. Such performances inspire confidence that Mitchell’s playmaking ability will translate against Power 5 opponents. He credits his new teammates as instrumental in his continued development as he leaps to the next level of college football.
“I believe in myself, and I know I can play on any stage that I set my mind to,” Mitchell said following Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game.
“Coming here to Notre Dame and being around guys like myself with the same work ethic as me and same talent as me pushed me to be even better and create more opportunities for myself to excel in my game. Going against them every day in practice has made me so much better, so I thank them boys and give credit to them boys.”
With no Irish player catching more than 29 passes last season, Mitchell looks to establish himself as the top target in Mike Denbrock’s new offense, a system known for utilizing dynamic deep threats. Denbrock’s gameplan relies on the run-pass option to set up deep passes to the sideline, the same system that allowed strong-armed Jayden Daniels and burner Malik Nabers to thrive at LSU last season.
“[His speed is] big, and it’s why we got him from the portal,” head coach Marcus Freeman said.
“We knew he could help this team and we’ve seen it all on film, and he’s had a really good spring. When we go live and throw the ball deep to him and let him make some big plays, he’s going to help us. That’s why he’s here, to really boost this wide receiver room, and it was good to see him score a touchdown today.”
Mitchell projects to start as the Z receiver for the Irish, his combination of vertical speed and ball skills helping to mitigate the loss of Chris Tyree, Tobias Merriweather and Rico Flores to the transfer portal. Beyond his obvious talent, Mitchell’s experience and leadership prove irreplaceable in a receiver room with just two upperclassmen.
“This spring, my whole goal is to get to know the guys, to grow closer to them and build a bond and connection on and off the field. I feel like I did that,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell’s 62-yard, game-winning touchdown reception for the Blue team during the Blue-Gold Game provided the wide receiver room the perfect opportunity to display this camaraderie. Immediately celebrating his first touchdown in Notre Dame Stadium with rising senior wide receiver Deion Colzie, Mitchell and the Blue team receiving corps kept the festivities going with an impromptu dance party on the field after securing a 28-21 victory over the Gold team.
Mitchell’s quick-twitch burst and afterburner deep speed were on full display Saturday, giving the Irish coaching staff plenty of reasons to celebrate, too.
Having developed a strong bond with Blue team quarterback Steve Angeli throughout the spring, a slight nod from the upcoming junior signal-caller at the line of scrimmage told Mitchell he’d be getting the ball on what proved to be the game-winning play.
“With Steve, we have a connection on and off the field. We [have] got class together, we hang out together — he’s cool,” Mitchell said.
“I got the signal, and it was like a double move, so I was like, ‘Yeah, this is coming to me.’ Me and Steve have talked before and were like, ‘We’re going to make a play today.’ I saw that was the opportunity that the [defensive back] had his eyes on me, and I knew if I made a good enough break that he was going to jump on it and the ball was going to be right there after my break.”
For Mitchell to develop into a true number-one receiver, he must improve his ability to make contested catches. Last season, he held on to just 12 of 25 contested catches, ranking 10th among the 17 receivers with at least 25 contested catch opportunities. Mitchell acknowledges this weakness in his game and vows to improve in 2024.
“My speed is one of my weapons, but [I need to work on] getting in and out of my breaks and when a defender’s on me, being able to be strong and get them off so I can make a play at the catch point and make contested catches.”
From Golden Tate to Chase Claypool to Kris Mitchell: when Mitchell takes the field for the Irish this fall, it’ll mark the next step in the evolution of the Irish wide receiver.
