Allen Mitchell makes return visit to Kansas, watches practice

Allen Mitchell recently took his second visit to Kansas. He visited for a football camp last summer and picked up an offer as a wide receiver.

Now, the Kansas coaches see him as an athlete who can play several positions on the offensive side.

“Right now, I'm being recruited as a receiver and as a running back,” Mitchell said. “I'm being recruited by Coach Samuel and Coach Wallace.”

Mitchell is listed as an all-purpose back in the Rivals database, but he could project to different positions. He did admit he sees himself as a running back.

“Really, I feel like I'm a running back,” Mitchell said. “The majority of the time I'm a running back, but I can also play slot receiver. I feel like I'm definitely an all-purpose back, someone who can do it all. I can do everything pretty well. I feel like being able to do everything makes me a lot more valuable as an athlete.”

Over the last couple months Mitchell, from Lutheran High, has talked with Samuel, who recruits the St. Louis area. He has been talking with Wallace since last year.

“I've talked to Coach Wallace for a little while,” Mitchell said. “He offered me this last year at a camp. I was already offered as receiver, really just getting to know him, and the culture at KU is definitely special.

“I'm just now really starting my relationship with Coach Samuel, considering he's relatively new to KU, but so far he's been an amazing dude, a great role model, and a person I could definitely look up to.”

Mitchell was able to watch the team go through a spring practice on his visit. It gave him a chance to see how the coaches interact and coach during a practice environment.

“I think what caught my attention was the coaching,” he said. “Seeing the coaches work in person, seeing the emphasis on special teams, and seeing how the coaches teach fundamentals. I liked seeing how they motivate their guys, and recruit the guys, is what stood out to me.”

Before his visit to Kansas, he traveled west to visit UCLA and USC. He also visited Colorado after the KU visit.

He holds several offers including Colorado, Kansas State, Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, Kentucky and others. When it comes to picking a school the relationships with the staff will be a big factor.

“I’ve got to be able to trust the coaches,” he said. “The coach has to be able to trust me. Really, for me, it's relationship first. I’ve got to have a strong bond, strong relationship with my coach, head coach, all the other coaches and people who work on the staff.”