Jackson Mitchell (born January 23, 2001) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He played

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for the

UConn Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, with its main campus located in Storrs, Connecticut. The school is a member of ...

before being signed by the Panthers as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

Early life and high school

Mitchell attended high school at Ridgefield. In Mitchell's junior season, he hauled in 80 receptions for 1,124 yards and 13 touchdowns, as well as notching 38 tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, and three interceptions. Coming out of high school, Mitchell was rated as a two-star recruit where he decided to commit to play

for the

College career

In week seven of the 2019 season, Mitchell recorded eight tackles in a loss to

Tulane The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it be ...

. Mitchell finished his freshman season in 2019 with 65 tackles with two being for a loss, half a sack, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery. During the 2020 season, Mitchell did not play as the Huskies season was canceled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. In week three of the 2021 season, Mitchell notched a career-high 16 tackles versus

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. During the 2021 season, Mitchell posted 120 tackles with six and a half being for a loss, three forced fumbles, and an interception. In week ten of the 2022 season, Mitchell tallied 12 tackles with one being for a loss, a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, as he helped the Huskies beat

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

13-3. In week twelve, Mitchell notched nine tackles, and a fumble recovery which he returned for a touchdown, as helped UConn upset #19 Liberty. During the 2022 season, Mitchell notched 140 tackles, with nine and a half being for a loss, four and a half sacks, three pass deflections, an interception, two forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries which led the nation. For his performance on the 2022 season, Mitchell was named a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award. In week six of the 2023 season, Mitchell recovered a fumble which he returned for a touchdown versus

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. Mitchell finished the 2023 season totaling 113 tackles with seven being for a loss, a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Mitchell signed with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

as an undrafted free agent on May 10, 2024. He was waived on August 16.

Las Vegas Raiders

On August 17, 2024, Mitchell was claimed off waivers by the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

. He was waived on August 27.

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On October 1, 2024, Mitchell signed with the Carolina Panthers practice squad. He was released on November 5. On December 17, 2024, Mitchell signed with the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the ...

of the United Football League (UFL). However, the next day, the Panthers signed Mitchell to their practice squad.

Las Vegas Raiders (second stint)

On January 13, 2025, Mitchell signed a reserve/future contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. He was waived by Las Vegas on April 25.

References

External links

UConn Huskies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Jackson 2001 births Living people Players of American football from Fairfield County, Connecticut Sportspeople from Ridgefield, Connecticut American football linebackers UConn Huskies football players Carolina Panthers players Las Vegas Raiders players