SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Speedster.
That’s the first word Kris Mitchell offered when asked to describe his game.
The new Notre Dame wide receiver, who completed a graduate transfer from Florida International (FIU) last month, presented more numbers to back up that claim when prompted.
The last time Mitchell ran a 40-yard dash, he said, he clocked in at 4.3 seconds. He’s hoping he hits the 4.2-range by the time he’s preparing for the NFL Combine next year.
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Mitchell also cited GPS-tracking equipment that calculated his top speed at 22 miles per hour in a practice at FIU. That would be faster than any of the speeds for the wide receivers who were tracked during practices for the Senior Bowl last week.
“I can take the top off [a defense],” Mitchell said Friday. “If it’s press or off [coverage], I feel I can run by any DB (defensive back) that lines up in front of me.”
Mitchell could be slightly stretching the truth on his speed. After all, speed claims from football players can be as inaccurate as height claims on dating apps. But the 6-foot-1, 178-pound Mitchell has the production to prove he was moving faster than the defenders who shared the field with him last season at FIU.
Mitchell caught 64 passes for 1,118 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games of a career-best season with the Panthers. In his fifth season at FIU, Mitchell became the favorite target of freshman quarterback Keyone Jenkins.
Jenkins and Mitchell stretched the field for FIU’s offense. Mitchell finished tied for fifth in the FBS with 31 receiving targets of 20-plus yards, according to data tracked by Pro Football Focus (PFF). He turned those targets into 14 receptions for 578 yards and four touchdowns.
Only five players caught more deep targets than Mitchell last season: Washington’s Rome Odunze (23), LSU’s Malik Nabers (19), UCF’s Javon Baker (15), LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. (15) and Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. (15). Odunze, Nabers, Thomas and Harrison are all considered realistic candidates to be selected in the first round of April’s NFL Draft.
In one season at Notre Dame, Mitchell hopes to prove to NFL scouts that he can handle an elevated level of competition after improving annually against mostly Group of Five talent in Conference USA.
“I want to show them I can make any type of catch,” Mitchell said. “I want to show them I can take the top off of any defense. I can stretch the field. I can catch a slant. I can take it for 70. Whatever they need me to do, I can make the big plays when it’s there. Fourth downs, overtime catches, I can make the plays.”
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Mitchell has his sights set on becoming the No. 1 target in a Notre Dame offense that should be wide open for someone to claim the role. No Irish player caught more than 29 passes last season. The team-high 29 receptions belonged to tight end Mitchell Evans, who missed five games and the last four with a season-ending knee injury. The top two wide receivers in catches transferred this offseason to UCLA (Rico Flores Jr., 27 catches) and Virginia (Chris Tyree, 26).
Notre Dame pursued Mitchell in the transfer portal after unsuccessfully recruiting his younger brother, Jon Mitchell, in the 2024 class. Jon, a four-star cornerback from Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin, chose to sign with Penn State despite the Irish making a late attempt at flipping his commitment.
Kris Mitchell verbally committed to Notre Dame before the Irish officially hired new wide receivers coach Mike Brown to replace Chansi Stuckey. At the time, Mitchell really connected with then-offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, who has since left the program to become Troy’s head coach. With Notre Dame hiring Mike Denbrock to replace Parker, Mitchell will get to play for a coordinator who utilized two dynamic deep threats in Nabers and Thomas last season.
Mitchell never wavered in his commitment to Notre Dame through the staff changes. But he made sure to check in with Riley Leonard, Duke’s starting quarterback who also committed to transfer to Notre Dame.
“It was 100% all the way,” Mitchell said. “I called Riley Leonard to see where his head was at with all that. He said it might be good for us. I feel like it was honestly good for us to bring in Coach Denbrock.”
Mitchell has room to improve on making contested catches in 2024. Last season, he was one of 17 FBS wide receivers to be targeted with 25 contested catch opportunities, as determined by PFF. He caught 12 of those passes for a 48% catch rate, which ranked 10th among those 17 receivers.
“I feel it’s hand-eye coordination, working with tennis balls, having your teammates put hands in your face while the ball is being thrown to you,” Mitchell said of the secret to making contested catches. “Pushing you around, guys tugging on you in practice. Little stuff like that makes a total difference when it comes to Saturdays.”
Though Mitchell has high aspirations for his final season of college football, he doesn’t want to attack it in a selfish way. He wants to be a leader, and encourager and a great teammate.
“If my place is to be the one or a two, just being whatever they need me to be to make plays in order to win games, that’s the goal,” Mitchell said. “Whatever can take this team to the next level and being a national championship contender.”
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