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Ohio State's Mitchell finds the right track in life, academics
By Marla Ridenour
Akron Beacon Journal
(MCT)
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Even before he could scrawl his name, Ohio State senior strong safety Brandon Mitchell seemed to have a sixth sense about what was best for him.
That was evident when 3-year-old Brandon threw a fit in Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport and refused to get on a plane to California with his 18-year-old mother.
"I've heard the story several times of me falling on the floor in the airport and saying, `I'm not going to California,' " he said.
"You would have sworn we were taking him to some monster show," said his grandfather Marcus Mitchell, who had driven Linda Barnes and her son to the airport. "So I told his mother, `We'll keep him until you get established, then we'll send him out.' "
That was the day Brandon Mitchell moved in with Marcus and Ida Mitchell and their two children, Melanie and Marcus Jr., and never left.
When Barnes returned from California 2 1/2 years later and eventually started her own construction company to install sewer and drain lines, she bought a house around the corner from the Mitchells.
Brandon seemed to thrive in the stable home of the Mitchells, who emphasized education over athletics. Marcus, 55, spent 30 years in the Atlanta Fire Department before retiring as a chief who trained the airport squad. Ida owns her own bridal and formal wear shop in their neighborhood of Ben Hill in southwest Atlanta, one of the reasons now sharp-dressing Brandon learned to iron creases into his pants when he was 5. Brandon's parents, Barnes and Ralph Mitchell, never married but remain good friends and are involved in their son's life.
The fruit of Marcus and Ida Mitchell's upbringing has been evident during Brandon's time at Ohio State.
Mitchell earned his degree in political science in the spring of 2005 and is 20 credits shy of his master's in communications. He plans to enter law school.
Athletically, things have been tougher. Going into this season, Mitchell had started eight games over three seasons for the Buckeyes, primarily at nickel back or free safety, filling in for Nate Salley. But OSU lost all four starters in the secondary from the 2005 team, and this fall, Mitchell stepped into the spot previously held by Donte Whitner.
Last Saturday at Iowa, Mitchell had two of top-ranked and undefeated Ohio State's four turnovers in a 38-17 victory. His second-quarter interception and 13-yard return set up a touchdown, and his fourth-quarter fumble recovery stopped a drive at the OSU 47. Going into Saturday's home game against Bowling Green, Mitchell ranks second on the team in tackles with 30.
"Brandon Mitchell has always had a great handle on what we would like to do," OSU coach Jim Tressel said. "Sometimes he didn't have as many opportunities to do it because we had some pretty good safeties. Now he's had a chance to prove he can do it day after day. I've been pleased, not just with his physical performance, but I think he's done a good leadership job."
That would not surprise Marcus Mitchell. He said Brandon finished No. 2 in the voting for "Mr. Mays" as the most popular boy at Mays High School and served as the student representative at board of education meetings. At Ohio State, he was one of two students on the search committee to select Athletic Director Gene Smith. Brandon said he held his own sitting across from Archie Griffin and Tammy Longaberger, CEO of the basket-making company.
"I had a lot of input. I was given ample opportunity to speak my opinion," Mitchell said.
"If he doesn't make it at the next level of football, he talks enough that he can be a lawyer," Marcus Mitchell said. "He can talk on either side of an issue. I asked him, `Are you going to run for president?' and he said no."
The Mitchells steered Brandon into athletics. Brandon said his father, Ralph, played college football at Norfolk State, and his uncle Marcus Jr., whom he considers a brother, played center at Arizona Western Community College and at Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina.
Brandon also played baseball and ran track. But Marcus Mitchell was also a high school football official and recognized that was Brandon's best sport.
"I had Friday night games and his were on Saturday so I'd sit in the stands and write down what he did good and what he did wrong," Marcus Mitchell said. "My wife went to all the games. She used to run up and down the sideline screaming and hollering. She got over that as he got faster and faster."
Marcus Mitchell said if the NFL has no place for Brandon, he won't be disappointed heading to law school.
"Brandon understands life," the elder Mitchell said. "You take what you get and make the most of it."
BUCKEYES . . .
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis, tied for sixth in the nation with four interceptions, has been added to the Butkus Award watch list. The winner will be announced Dec. 9. . . . OSU's Oct. 14 game at Michigan State will start at 3:30 p.m. . . . ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted in a Wednesday Internet chat that quarterback Troy Smith will be a second- or third-round draft pick. Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock is No. 9 on Kiper's Big Board of 25 seniors.