[Update]: Here's my scouting report on Mitchell that I just did for the mothership. --Wescott
There aren't many remaining needs in the 2014 class for the Texas Longhorns, but the one glaring area of concern is at defensive end.
The only current commitment is from Lancaster defensive Daeshon Hall and though he reiterated that he's still committed to Texas ($) in an interview with Hookem.com published on Tuesday, he didn't rule out taking more visits and simply indicated that the staff wants him to communicate any potential visits beforehand.
Not quite enough to move Hall from a soft commitment back to a solid commit, but it is better than a decommitment, which seems more unlikely now than it has for some time.
As for Alief Taylor defensive end Torrodney Prevot, he's a long way off from making a decision and it's not clear whether any of the schools he has visited (LSU, Texas, Texas A&M) or plans on visiting (Oregon) have an edge on the others, making his recruitment a virtual toss-up at this point. Les Miles did send a Mother's Day card to his household that apparently made Mama Prevot's day, so maybe the Mad Hatter gained some ground for the Tigers there.
In other words, the worst-case scenario for Texas of Hall decommitting and Prevot going elsewhere is quite plausible, even if it isn't likely. Having a back-up plan in place and perhaps even pursuing it sooner rather than later would make sense.
As a result, Plano Prestonwood Christian defensive end/linebacker Mike Mitchell appears to be the next prospect in line for an offer, regardless of position.
The 6-4, 220-pounder is a superlative athlete with elite top-end speed and leaping ability. While neither of those skills translate particularly easily to the defensive end position, the point is that he has a rare combination of size and speed that probably makes him a worthwhile take, even with limited numbers remaining.
Despite some speculation early in the process that Mitchell wasn't that interested in Texas and was perhaps looking mostly out of state because he's from Florida, the pendulum seems to have swung and Mitchell has indicated that he would be interested in Texas ($) were they to offer:
If Texas did offer, then that would put them right in the thick of things for me. They would shoot up the list for sure. Like I said, I like Texas. They're a great school. So for them to offer would definitely be a big deal for me.
I heard this weekend from a source close to the situation that Mike's father increasingly would like to see his son stay in state, in large part because he has several other younger sons and would like to keep them all close to home. If that is the case, Texas would be facing off with schools they normally defeat in recruiting battles.
On the other hand, there's also a lot of talk that Mitchell would like to play with teammate Christian Morgan in college, which would effectively eliminate Texas and likely benefit Baylor, which is in hard pursuit of Morgan and has a strong chance of landing the big tight end. Such arrangements rarely come to fruition, but it is something to consider.
Now the Texas coaches have to consider whether they want to stand pat for the moment, wait on Prevot, and hope for the best with Hall staying in the fold or become pro-active. A decision isn't imminent for Mitchell, so there isn't time-related pressure on Texas in that regard, but the 'Horns aren't in such a strong position with the Metroplex-area prospect that they can afford to slow play him indefinitely.