The 2018 Mississippi football season begins in four days, as the Bulldogs take on Stephen F. Austin at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday. Former MSU defensive back, #4 Charles Mitchell is today’s spotlighted player.

Mitchell was a hard-hitting safety from Clarksdale, Miss. He played for the Bulldogs from 2008-2011.

He was a four-star recruit and known as one of the of the top 12 prospects in the state of Mississippi. Rivals rated him the fifth-best prospect in Mississippi and the top-rated defensive back.

Playing both running back and cornerback at Clarksdale High School, he starred as two-way player for the Wildcats. In his senior year, he made 78 tackles, four of which were quarterback sacks. He also finished the year with two interceptions in leading Clarksdale to the second round of the state playoffs.

Offensively, he rushed 80 times for 520 yards to go along with nine touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes for 200 yards and another touchdown.

Following his senior year, Mitchell was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Mississippi and was selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama High School All-Star game. He led the Mississippi team to victory by leading the defense in tackles (nine) and recording an interception in the all-star classic.

The 5-foot-11, 220-pound defensive back signed with the Bulldogs on Feb. 5, 2008.

Mitchell played in all 12 games during his freshman season for the Bulldogs in 2008. He tallied 31 tackles and a pass deflection as a top special teams player for State. After his freshman campaign, he was voted to the Freshman All-SEC team by the league’s coaches.

During his sophomore season, Mitchell again started all 12 games at safety. He had 65 tackles with one and a half tackles for loss.

He was also tied for second on the team with four interceptions, one of which was a big 71-yard touchdown return on Houston’s quarterback Case Keenum who is currently with the Denver Broncos. He then had two interceptions in a 41-27 season ending victory over rival Ole Miss.

Mitchell became a leader of the secondary in 2010. The junior strong safety started all 13 games again and compiled 93 total tackles on the year, which was good for third most on the team. His season-high in tackles, 13, came in the 47-24 win over Houston .

As a senior, Mitchell played all 13 games again and served as a captain for the Bulldogs. He had 95 tackles, including a sack, and a forced-fumble on the year.

In four years as a Bulldog, Mitchell played in all 50 games of his career and made 37 starts as the anchor of the MSU defense. He racked up an impressive 300-plus tackles in his career.

After MSU

Mitchell was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the the sixth round, 192nd overall, in the 2012 NFL Draft.

He played in 10 games for the Falcons in 2012 and recorded one tackle. He also spent time in training camp with the Denver Broncos in 2014.