There was a time when Charley Trippi ran wild for the Georgia Bulldogs.
That time was during World War II. He was an offensive and defensive star for the Bulldogs and was the MVP of the 9-0 Rose Bowl win over Californiain 1943.
Now along comes Malcolm Mitchell. He had Georgia thinking of one-platoon football again last season. He might not be Charley Trippi; in fact he’s not, but for Mark Richt’s Bulldogs that’s okay. He played offense as a freshman and both ways for three of the first four games as a sophomore when Georgia’s defense was short-handed due to player suspensions.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior flanker, who starred on offense and defense at Valdosta (Ga.) High School, was named to the All-SEC Freshmen Team in 2011 after he caught 45 passes for 665 yards and four touchdowns.
As a sophomore last season, Mitchell was ready to step up and lend a hand to the defense when he was needed, but it didn’t hurt his offensive production one bit.
“He’s very talented,” Richt said in the spring of 2012 when Mitchell impressed as a cornerback. “He’s a great competitor. He loves practice. He loves preparation. He loves to win the drill, no matter what it is. He loves the challenge of learning a defense. Last year he learned the offense and he didn’t show up until the summer.”
“He has great change of direction. He has good ball skills. He’s muscled up since he’s been here. He has a lot of great tools to be a great cornerback. He has the same type of tools that usually equates into being a great receiver as well.”
But how do his teammates feel about Mitchell’s two-way talents?
“Obviously, being the quarterback I’m a little selfish,” Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray said. “I want him over on offense with me, but I know he’s going to do the right thing and the coaches are going to put him in position to help us win.”
Added Murray, “He’s a very unselfish player and he’s going to do whatever it takes to help the team win. If that takes defense for the entire game, if it means coming over to offense, if it means special teams, he’s the kid who is going to do whatever it takes to help us win.”
Mitchell did just that last season as the Bulldogs went 12-2 and came within a whisker of winning the SEC Championship and earning a chance to play Notre Dame for the national championship.
Mitchell was the second-leading receiver on the team with 40 receptions for 572 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 17 yards, a 3.4 yard per carry average, and returned 11 punts for 57 yards and 16 kicks for 360 yards.
Defensively, Mitchell had 12 tackles, three passes broken up and one fumble recovery. His biggest game came in the win overMissouriwhen he had six tackles.
But Mitchell makes it clear he enjoys playing both ways, but the key for him is just being out there playing regardless of which side of the football he is on. He also plans to one day carry that enjoyment to the NFL.
“Oh. That’s one of the toughest questions I’ve had,” he said when he was asked which he prefers. “I would love a pick-six in the league. But I don’t know if I could turn down a 50- or 60-yard bomb, either. It’s really tough. Either way I think I’d be happy, just as long as I’m out there playing and having fun.”
This season Mitchell will focus on being an every-day offensive player and making the improvements necessary to become an elite receiver.
“If you look at it how I’ve been doing since I got here, I’ve really only had freshman year to be at receiver,” he said in an interview with the Macon Telegraph. “So this is a chance for me to make a big jump.
“I think I can become a lot better, just off of some of the things that happened to me last year, that didn’t go my way, now I’m learning how to make sure things do go my way.”