SU: Mitchell to coach spring practice
“Stump Mitchell is head football coach at Southern University today. There will be no other comments on the situation unless, and until, the situation changes.” Sandy Pugh, Interim Southern University Athletic Director
The Southern football team is scheduled to begin spring practice Wednesday.
The university says its coach, Stump Mitchell, will be there.
Mitchell hasn’t affirmed that statement himself.
On Tuesday night, the Southern athletic department issued a release acknowledging reports that Mitchell had interviewed with the St. Louis Rams, but also stating that it expects Mitchell to begin spring drills Wednesday afternoon with the Jaguars.
“Stump Mitchell is head football coach at Southern University today,” Interim Athletic Director Sandy Pugh said in a statement. “There will be no other comments on the situation unless, and until, the situation changes.”
Attempts to reach Mitchell for comment have been unsuccessful since Monday.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper, Mitchell was in St. Louis to interview Monday for the Rams’ running backs coach position, and although the interview went well, it was unclear if the Rams had extended a job offer to Mitchell.
The Post-Dispatch, citing anonymous sources, said that Rams coach Jeff Fisher could be interviewing one or two other candidates.
Mitchell told The Advocate last week that he was happy to be at Southern and wasn’t looking for a job, but added that “you just never know,” noting that the coaching profession is one of constant change.
Mitchell knows that firsthand. After three years at Morgan State, he left to become running backs coach with the Seattle Seahawks for nine seasons, then moved to the Washington Redskins, where he served as assistant head coach and running backs coach for two more seasons.
He coached 1,000-yard rushers in eight seasons (Ricky Watters twice, Shaun Alexander five times and Clinton Portis once), and two of his fullbacks — Mack Strong and Mike Sellers — made the Pro Bowl.
Reports of Mitchell’s interview in St. Louis came less than a month after he announced his third signing class at Southern. Officially, the class included 15 players who will join the team on athletic scholarships, but a handful of others intend to join the program on academic scholarships.
The class included players who filled obvious positions of need, including place-kicker and defensive tackle, where the Jaguars were either unreliable or desperately short on numbers.
Mitchell, who will turn 53 next month, went 2-9 in his first season at Southern, but his second team showed more promise. Southern is coming off a 4-7 season in which the Jaguars lost four games by five or fewer points.
Returning players and early enrollees are scheduled to report for practice Wednesday afternoon.
According to the university release, so is Mitchell.