Ohio State then-junior linebacker Teradja Mitchell (3) and then-junior defensive end Tyler Friday (54) tackle an Alabama player during the Ohio State vs. Alabama National Championship game on Jan. 11. Alabama won 52-24. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Three long years into his Buckeye career, Teradja Mitchell has worked mostly behind the scenes.
He’s watched the likes of Tuf Borland and Pete Werner hold down linebacker duties. He’s watched former teammates Baron Browning and Justin Hilliard overcome injuries and obstacles to help them develop a large role in Ohio State’s defense.
Now, the opportunity has come for Mitchell to step into the limelight — and he’s ready.
“I’ve seized it big time,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been working for this moment for a long time. I’ve just been patient. I’m on God’s timing. I’ve just been putting my head down and working and it felt good going out there with the first team.”
Mitchell played in 28 games, including all eight games during the team’s national championship run in 2020, since joining the Buckeyes’ program as a four-star linebacker from Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The Buckeyes’ linebacker room will be virtually brand new after losing its four starters to the NFL. Mitchell said he and the rest of the current linebackers are watching extra film, spending extra time after practice and preparing to take over the reins without losing a hitch.
“We understand we have a lot at stake, and if we want to win that championship, we got to take it another step,” Mitchell said. “We hear that we’re question marks and that we’re inexperienced, we’re this, we’re that. We hear it. We’re putting in the work.”
The 6-foot-2, 239-pound senior said he feels quicker since reincorporating more protein into his diet, following a switch to a vegan diet last season, waking up each day with a grind mindset and citing that a linebacker needs power to make plays.
Mitchell also said he’s aiming to play at a point where he’s anticipating opposing offenses’ schemes instead of reacting. Perhaps more importantly, Mitchell said the linebacker room “needs a leader,” and he’s made an effort to step up as a contributor and leader of the Ohio State defense.
Sophomore linebacker Cody Simon said he’s seen Mitchell do just that. After making four tackles in six games a season ago, Simon said he tries to assimilate aspects of Mitchell’s game and work ethic into his own, as do many of the Buckeyes’ defenders.
“Teradja works the hardest. He is our work horse,” Simon said. “He’s our leader right now. He’s the senior guy, so right now our job is to play and let him lead us. He saw what the four linebackers who left did and now we’re all trying to emulate it. I think we all took it to another level, but he’s always been a hard worker, extra worker.”
In the wake of losing all seven captains from a season ago, head coach Ryan Day said he’s looking for leaders to step up, and he’s found one in Mitchell. He said Mitchell hasn’t been afraid to step in front of the team, something he’s found impressive.
Linebackers coach Al Washington agreed that Mitchell has taken over the room and led both vocally and by example. On the field, Washington said he’s seeing consistency from his rising leader.
“He’s been really working at it. He’s eager to go out and do what he loves to do and that’s play football,” Washington said. “The best thing about football is when you get out on the field, the play speaks for itself. He’s done that and I’m really proud of what he’s done so far this camp.”
Mitchell said he and the rest of the linebacker room aim to follow the blueprint set forth by Borland, Browning, Hilliard and Werner. The ideas of reloading and “next man up” have been two driving forces to live up to their standard, according to Mitchell.
While there’s no set depth chart among the linebackers quite yet, Mitchell said the level of competition within the Buckeyes’ roster is remarkably high, whether there’s one spot open or more.
“Every day we go out there, we got to work,” Mitchell said. “You got to bring your ‘A’ game every day. It’s Ohio State. We’re playing at the highest level of college football. I wouldn’t even say the competition is amped up, it is what it is.”
The 2021 season presents something three years — and longer — in the making for Mitchell. Not only is he gearing up for a larger portion of on-the-field responsibilities, but he’s taking advantage of recent Name, Image and Likeness changes by creating a clothing brand called Above the Realm.
Former head coach Urban Meyer once told Mitchell that he chose the hard route by joining a deep, veteran Buckeye linebackers room, according to the senior. But that’s exactly what Mitchell wanted, and he said it’s beginning to pay off for him.
“I’ve always understood that it’s going to be a tough process. I understood that it was going to take a lot of work to get on that field, and here I am,” Mitchell said. “You got to be hungry. You got to come in here with a chip on your shoulder every day. I definitely do that. I take this very serious. This is my dream, and as you get closer to your dream, you start to get more motivated.”
