Letter of intent No. 11: Trenton Mitchell
The 11th letter of intent comes from offensive lineman Trenton Mitchell of Gastonia (N.C.) Ashbrook High.
Here is a full bio on Mitchell.
Ratings
• Rivals.com: Three stars, No. 34 overall in North Carolina.
• 247Sports: Three stars, No. 103 tackle in the country, No. 39 overall in North Carolina.
• ESPN: Three stars, No. 107 tackle in the country, No. 33 overall in North Carolina.
Gastonia (N.C.) Ashbrook coach Darius James
Gastonia (N.C.) Ashbrook coach Darius James credits better conditioning and weight room work for the emergence of senior tackle Trenton Mitchell.
Mitchell emerged as a high-major player following his junior year, and kept the momentum going. He played both left tackle and right tackle at times for Ashbrook High, and he'll be early enrolling at NC State.
“He has been a leader and we have a bunch of young guys, so they looked for him for guidance,” James said. “[NCSU offensive line] Coach [Garett] Tujague has been amazing. Outside of Trent’s recruitment, anything that I’ve needed or questions, he’s a great asset for NC State. He even calls me and texts me on game day.”
The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Mitchell liked the plan that NC State laid out for him and also didn’t want to go to far from home. He picked NCSU over Maryland and East Carolina on July 5, 2023.
“He liked what NC State has produced as far as O-lineman the last couple of years,” James said. “It will be a great match for him. He’ll go up there and learn a lot, and he’s enrolling early. That will be good for him.”
Mitchell had a memorable matchup against UNC-bound defensive end Curtis Simpson of Kings Mountain (N.C.) High on Oct. 19. The Greenwave lost 24-3, but Mitchell held up well against the speed rusher.
“All year, he was talking about it,” James said. “Last year, Curtis got the best of him. He [Mitchell] was at 305 pounds then and worked extremely hard this offseason to lose weight. He became more agile. He knew everyone would be there to watch it.”
James knew in the ninth grade that Mitchell had the chance to be a Division I prospect if he put the work into it.
“I think in his sophomore year, it kind of clicked for him,” James said. “It was still a hard journey. I pushed this kid to everybody [college coaches].
"He's had a big transformation with his body and understanding his body. He went from 6-3 to 6-6. We talk about that all the time. He had clumsy feet and now has quicker feet."
— Jacey Zembal
Honors/Accomplishments
• Mitchell was selected to the Carolinas Shrine Bowl.
Recruitment
Mitchell was under the radar a bit, but he attended NC State's Junior Day on Jan. 21, and the Wolfpack made him a high priority since offering.
Mitchell officially visited East Carolina, Rutgers, NC State and Maryland, and picked the Wolfpack on July 5, about three weeks after his visit to Raleigh.
Recruiter of Record
NC State offensive line coach Garett Tujague.
Quotable
"When I took my official, I felt like that I fit right in with the players. It felt like home when I was there and somewhere I could do great things. After about a week, I was like, 'Yeah, this is the place for me to be.' Coach [Garett] Tujague was excited and he can't wait to coach me." — Trenton Mitchell
2023 Projection
Mitchell will likely redshirt next fall.
Highlights
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