Braylon Mitchell was penciled in after spring as the starting strong side linebacker. So we should be seeing more of him this fall than we've ever seen before, which is very exciting.
Mitchell is from Heber Springs, Arkansas and the fourth-year junior has steadily progressed since he came to Fayetteville in 2010. He redshirted his first year, then played mostly on special teams in 2011, and began to see more action at linebacker in 2012.
His rise to the starting spot in the spring apparently surprised some, as he seems to be the type of player for whom the coaching change was a great new start. Here's what Bret Bielema said about Mitchell in the spring:
"Did Braylon Mitchell surprise me? No. But other people that have been around have made that comment, which I understand totally, just because he wasn't a guy I heard a lot about coming in and things along that line. What I love is he just is a very, very matter-of-fact kid. He handles his business, grinds, he's been a pupil in coach Shannon's office quite a bit."
Mitchell chose to come to Arkansas over Ole Miss and Arkansas State.