The tandem of Michael Hawkins and Davon Mitchell was supposed to be the Sooners' modern-day answer to Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham, or Baker Mayfield and Mark Andrews.
And although Hawkins still has a legacy to write at Oklahoma, Mitchell's tenure in the crimson and cream appears to be over before it ever got off the ground.
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound tight end is no longer with the team after just one season in Norman, tying the bow on an Oklahoma career rife with unrealized expectations. Once considered a five-star recruit in the class of 2025, Mitchell reclassified to the 2024 cycle upon committing to Oklahoma so that he could enroll alongside Hawkins, his close friend and erstwhile high school teammate. He chose the Sooners over Miami and Alabama last July, and was signed and enrolled by January.
In a tight end room full of unproven and inexperienced commodities, some believed Mitchell could crack the starting lineup as a true freshman based on pure talent. At the conclusion of the 2024 cycle, Rivals ranked him the No. 10 tight end and No. 215 overall player in the nation.
However, Mitchell didn't crack the Sooners' Week 1 depth chart, nor did he see the field in the season's early stages. By late September, Brent Venables was fielding questions about Mitchell's progress — or lack thereof. However, the Sooners' head ball coach indicated that Mitchell was on the right track.
"When Davon got here, Davon will be the first to tell you it took him a little while to transition," Venables remarked. "I’ve been in a locker room for a long time, so I kind of know what this looks like. But having great focus wasn’t something that he had in the spring when he first got here. And [it was] just timeliness, showing up with the right clothes on, being on time, turning in assignments, just all the stuff that a lot of young kids do when they go to college. Nothing malicious. Great young man, but he couldn’t get out of his own way. And he’s decided to lock in [and] focus here since school started. He’s been down on the scout team with us and everything has been completely and totally different.
"And with a lot of help and support both from home and then him taking a good, hard look at himself, he’s done a really nice job," Venables continued. "He’s been a scout team player of the week. And so he may have an opportunity to be a part of what’s going on. But for him, he’d be the first one to tell you he was a non-factor all of fall camp. He was a non-factor all of summer. He’s been a non-factor in spring ball. He’s a non-factor in winter conditioning only because of all the things I’m talking about... But like I said, everything is — he’s flipped the switch. He’s been getting after it. He’s been accountable. And he’s been a scout team player of the week. And he’s been a dude — you know, the dude that we know he can be. And hopefully he’ll continue to be."
However, Mitchell continued to ride the pine, even in garbage time. By the time the regular season ended, he had yet to see the field for even a single snap. Come spring, his weight had ballooned to 275 pounds, and he was an afterthought on the depth chart at tight end behind converted linebacker Jaren Kanak, Pittsburg State transfer Will Huggins and Kennesaw State transfer Carson Kent.
And now, with all four years of eligibility still at his disposal, Mitchell finished at Oklahoma and prepared to start fresh at a new destination. Meanwhile, the Sooner faithful can do no more but wonder what type of impact Mitchell might have had if his career in Norman had taken a different trajectory.
Oklahoma is left with aix scholarship tight ends in Huggins, Kanak, Kent, Kade McIntyre, Kaden Helms and true freshman Trynae Washington.
Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!
Follow us on Twitter @OUInsider and on Instagram @ouinsiderofficial!
Subscribe on YouTube by clicking here for daily video content on all things Oklahoma!
