2018 4-Star Teradja Mitchell Previews FSU Visit, Breaks Down Recruitment

The recruitment of 2018 4-star linebacker Teradja Mitchell is beginning to heat up.

This weekend, the nation’s No. 2 outside linebacker and No. 13 player overall in the junior class will head to Florida State this weekend for its showdown against Clemson. 

This will be Mitchell’s third time seeing the Seminoles program this year. He visited for the ‘Noles spring game in Orlando and also made a stop in Tallahassee during the summer.

But he admits there’s one thing he has yet to experience that he'll get to see during this weekend’s visit.

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FSU vs Clemson on Saturday, gone be lit ✔️

— Teradja Mitchell ™ (@WhosThatNumber7) October 23, 2016"

“This will be my first time actually seeing the game-day atmosphere,” Mitchell told Bleacher Report. “I’ve been to the spring game, but it wasn’t at the actual stadium. That’s the main thing I want to see. I want to see how the players compete. This is one of the top teams in the country, so it will be exciting to see how they compete.”

Head coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff have had great success in the state of Virginia in years past with players such as defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, defensive end Josh Sweat and corner Levonta Taylor.

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FSU showing love #NoleNation  pic.twitter.com/KToDQzuX6I

— Teradja Mitchell ™ (@WhosThatNumber7) September 1, 2016"

The 6'2", 237-pounder has paid attention to the matriculation of stars from his home state to Tallahassee, but that isn’t going to be a major factor with his recruitment.

“I mean, it plays a role. It’s not that big of a role. It helps to see guys playing well who are from my area,” Mitchell explained. “Because where we come from, our background is different, and we work very hard. I see it mainly being about the players who come from here. It’s not a big factor, but it doesn’t hurt, either.”

In addition to Florida State, Mitchell has seen schools such as Clemson, Georgia and West Virginia in recent months.

He broke down his thoughts on each of those schools. 

“I love Clemson. When I went there, I felt at home. [Defensive coordinator] Coach [Brent] Venables is a great coach. I love the way he coaches. He’s arguably one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, and it would be great to play for a coach like that.

“When I first visited Georgia, it was a school that I honestly didn’t have much interest in. But after the visit, it’s a school that I’ve actually been looking into. I feel like they have a great coaching staff that can develop me and help me get to the NFL, because that is one of my goals. They have the perfect coaching staff to make that happen.

“My brother [T.J. Mitchell] played at West Virginia. My brother always tries to recruit me there. It’s a great place. I love the atmosphere, and I love their fans.”

Additionally, Mitchell also keeps tabs on one in-state school.

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Tech is back  #HokieNation .

— Teradja Mitchell ™ (@WhosThatNumber7) October 8, 2016"

“I contact Virginia Tech from time to time,” he said. “That is one of the schools I keep up with because they took a chance on me first. I like Virginia Tech. That was my first offer.”

As far as other visits, he plans to check out Big Ten power Ohio State on Nov. 26 when the Buckeyes play rival Michigan.

There are a few other programs he hopes to visit in the coming months. 

“I still want to visit Florida. I haven’t had a chance to get down there yet. I want to visit Michigan and then my dream school, LSU,” he said.

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I'll be visiting OSU soon ‼️ #BuckeyeNation ⭕️

— Teradja Mitchell ™ (@WhosThatNumber7) October 17, 2016"

Mitchell also noted that he’s built strong bonds with the coaching staffs at Clemson, Florida State and Ohio State. He said he's also in the process of establishing a relationship with the staff at Michigan.

The next step for Mitchell will be to narrow down his list of suitors. While he hasn’t arrived at that point yet, he shared his plans for when that could occur.

“I haven’t made a timeline for my commitment, but I’m in the process of making a top-10 [list] right now. I’m not sure when I will release it, but the way it is looking, it could be early next year,” he said.

Mitchell, who reports a 3.6 GPA and tentative plans to major in business, said he’s also been thinking about developing a plan for life after football. That’s just one of the critical factors he feels will influence his ultimate decision on where he plays his college football.

“The main thing for me is playing for a staff that can help develop me and get me to the NFL, because that is where I want to go,” Mitchell said. “I also look at schools that have great business programs. That’s what I want to major in, and I’d like to create a plan for life after football. So that’s big with me as well. I’d also like my parents to be comfortable with the school I choose.”

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani