Sydir Mitchell is the perfect example of how the grass is not always greener. Texas begged him to stay in Austin during the offseason but he hit the college football transfer portal anyway to play at LSU.
And now he is not on the team.
The circumstances of his mysterious departure are unclear but I would imagine it has to do with playing time. Regardless of the reason for his exit, the future of his college football career is now up in the air.
Who is Sydir Mitchell?
Mitchell initially ranked as a four-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2023 out of New Jersey high school football powerhouse Bergen Catholic. His top suitors included Georgia, Miami and Texas A&M.
The 6-foot-6, 335-pound defensive lineman ultimately chose the Longhorns over 20 other offers.
However, he could not crack the starting lineup in either of his first two seasons. Mitchell made three total tackles in 2023 and four total tackles in 2024. That was it.
6’6” and 360 lb freshman nose tackle Sydir Mitchell closes running lanes immediately. pic.twitter.com/LyQU5VVA8F
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) April 17, 2023
As is often the case in this modern era of collegiate athletics, a lack of playing time led the rising redshirt sophomore to hit the transfer portal after two years at Texas. Defensive line coach Kenny Baker and head coach Steve Sarkisian really wanted Mitchell to stay. They had big plans for him to finally get involved.
Their pleas fell on deaf ears. Mitchell left for Louisiana.
LSU let him walk.
Sydir Mitchell did not see the field during either of LSU’s first two games. He is no longer on the team.
Part of the departure likely stems from a clash of coaching styles.
Former defensive line coach Bo Davis recruited Mitchell to Baton Rouge before he took a role with the New Orleans Saints. New defensive line coach Kyle Williams prefers faster, smaller pass rushers to massive freaks of nature. Mitchell is a behemoth. He is neither small nor fast.
Part of the departure also stems from a mysterious dismissal. Or so it appears.
“We have standards that need to be met, and those standards weren’t met,” Brian Kelly said.
That is all we know right now and, to make it even more strange, the player in question has deleted his Instagram profile. Something obviously went down. But what? The truth may never come out.
Sydir Mitchell is a perfect example of how the grass is not always greener.
Texas wanted him to stay. He still decided to leave for LSU and now he is unemployed.