'09 GA LB Nigel Mitchell-Thornton (Tennessee Verbal)

[GoRU]

'09 GA LB Nigel Mitchell-Thornton



Outside linebacker
Stone Mountain (GA) Stephenson

Ht: 6-foot-2
Wt: 210 lbs
Forty: 4.92 secs
Bench reps: 12
Vertical: 28 inches
Shuttle: 4.66 secs
GPA: 3.4
Class: 2009 (High School)

ECI lineman first to commit for Jackets | Football recruiting | ajc.com

Rangy enough to look like a safety, Mitchell-Thornton figures to attract more attention if he adds heft. A number of SEC schools, plus North Carolina and Miami, may be interested.

[GoRU]

Tech among schools to offer Stephenson LB | Football recruiting | ajc.com

Leading Stephenson in tackles as a junior last fall merely confirmed what many college scouts already suspected about linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton.

The 6-foot-2.5, 220-pounder is a defensive playmaker.

“I’d say the thing that caught everybody’s eye was when he had 16.5 sacks as a sophomore,” Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell said. “Playing the people we do, that’s pretty dang good.”

Schools such as Duke, Central Florida, Georgia Tech, Marshall and Mississippi State have already offered. Alabama, Auburn and Georgia continue to express strong interest.

“He likes Tech,” Gartrell said. “He and his mom had a chance recently to sit down with [Tech] coach Paul Johnson on their visit. He likes the staff and the direction they’re talking about going in.

“He’s a Tech kind of guy. He wouldn’t have any trouble fitting in there.”

When the recruiting dust settles, Gartrell thinks Mitchell-Thornton may be forced to commit earlier than originally expected.

“At one point, he was going to try to take it the distance [and commit near signing day in Feb. 2009],” Gartrell said. “But now, people are committing so early.

“I don’t like it, but it may force him to make an earlier commitment.”

But Gartrell is convinced that Mitchell-Thornton will make a sound decision when he chooses a college.

“He’s visited Alabama and had a sit down with coach [Nick] Saban,” Gartrell said. “And he’s been to Auburn and Georgia.

“He went to Mississippi State and met coach **[Sylvester] Croom. He’s been out there and he’s doing his homework.”

[HotMic]

Scout $

4/18

From the GAVSV site. Thornton had a great visit to Florida, and says that Oklahoma State has offered.

[GoRU]

Rivals $

5/21

Top 5 of Clemson, Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee. Of those, only Clemson has offered verbally.

[GoRU]

Stephenson LB weighing multiple offers | College recruiting | ajc.com

Duke, Central Florida, Georgia Tech, Marshall, Mississippi State, Northwestern and Purdue are among the schools that have offered Stephenson linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is expected to spend much of the summer displaying his talent at camps at places such as Auburn, Florida and Tennessee.

The exposure will likely lead to additional scholarship offers.

“We had about 75 schools come through this spring,” Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell said. “And I can’t recall any one of them that wasn’t impressed with Nigel.”

The Jackets’ offer to Mitchell-Thornton may have coach Paul Johnson’s first recruiting class at Tech in a bit of a quandary.

“Tech was in a situation where they were recruiting three linebackers and they were only going to take two,” Gartrell said. “The other two have committed.

“I think their offer to Nigel is still on the table, but how serious they are I don’t know.”

Tech and every other school may have to wait until February to learn where Mitchell-Thornton will sign.

“He has shown indications that he will take this thing all the way to signing day,” Gartrell said. “I don’t even know if he’s sitting on a favorite.

“At some point this summer, he’ll cut his numbers down to five or seven schools. Right now, it seems like he’s enjoying working out and training.”

[HotMic]

Scout $

6/23

By S Robertson. Nigel favors Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Stanford and Tennessee, and talks a bit about each. How his family feels about the school will be very important.

[HotMic]

Scout $

8/1

By S Robertson. Nigel again says he is down to Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Stanford and Tennessee with the Vols holding a slight lead. He knows he can get a good education at any of the schools, and will be watching this year to see how he thinks he would fit in each defensive scheme.

[GoRU]

UPDATE: Scott helps UT pluck linebacker Mitchell-Thornton from Stone Mountain, Ga. : Football Recruiting : GoVolsXtra.com

“That’s what coach Scott was telling me, that I’m special because I’m one of the first guys from the area (to commit to UT),” Mitchell-Thornton said. “He said they used to always recruit around this area but no guys would ever come up to Tennessee.

“I really took that into consideration.”

Mitchell-Thornton’s mentality helped UT. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker didn’t feel obliged to stay close to home.

“A lot of people say I have a different personality,” he said. “I don’t always go with the crowd. I’m my own person.

“I have confidence in myself to be able to go to school and do the right things while I’m there … in order for me to be successful.”

Mitchell-Thornton registered 106 tackles, six sacks and 12 tackles for a loss last season. That sort of production helped him amass 22 scholarship offers. Before selecting the Vols, his finalists were Michigan, Stanford, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State.

“The first time Tennessee offered,” Mitchell-Thornton said, “we automatically put it on the top.”

Much of UT’s elevation to No. 1 had to do with Scott. The Vols weren’t the first to knock on Mitchell-Thornton’s door, but they were the loudest.

“He really came after me and kept it real the whole time,” Mitchell-Thornton said of Scott. “I really appreciate that.”