The Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship was started in 1987 by Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh to give college and high school coaches hands-on experience with NFL teams during offseason programs and training camps. The goal is to develop coaching talent and open doors to the highest level of the game. Sports are highly competitive, and Mitchell’s selection came after years of applying. Along the way, he advanced through video interviews and film-grading evaluations.

When the call from Pittsburgh came in July, the timing presented a challenge. Each NFL franchise runs its fellowship differently, and the Steelers’ fellowship overlapped with Olivet’s own training camp.

“After learning the specific time commitment and the conflict it created with our team’s training camp, initially I wasn’t sure if I would be able to accept such a prestigious opportunity,” Mitchell said. “My wife and coaches encouraged me to go, so I spoke with a couple of my mentors about the opportunity. I was also blessed to receive the support of our university president, Dr. Gregg Chenoweth, and our vice president, Dr. Jason Stephens. Their support allowed me to pursue an opportunity that I knew would be invaluable to my growth as a coach and ultimately benefit our program.”

Mitchell handed day-to-day leadership of the Tigers’ camp to Associate Head Coach Terrance Wilson and Assistant Head Coach Keith Beckham, who also serve as the team’s coordinators.

“There was a ton of trust,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been together for about seven years now, so they know my heartbeat and they did a phenomenal job.”

For close to a month, Mitchell worked 15- to 16-hour days in Pittsburgh. His schedule was filled with staff, position, unit and team meetings, along with walk-throughs, practices and lift sessions. He also served on the coaching staff on the sidelines for two preseason games.

From his first day to his last, Mitchell was assigned to the quarterbacks. The room included Head Coach Mike McCarthy, Quarterbacks Coach Tom Arth and Offensive Coordinator Brian Angelichio, along with quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar.

“My hat’s off to Pittsburgh,” said Mitchell. “My expectation going in was that I would be an observer, off to the side with a notebook, just kind of seeing everything from afar. But from day one I was put into a coaching role, assisting the quarterbacks’ coach. Other coaches, like assistant head coach Joe Whitt Jr., helped me get the most out of this fellowship. The entire organization was so supportive of my development as a coach.”

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