re: Reggie Mitchell is the new RB coach

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Even tho the "BB hasn't been able to get rbs" narrative is a bit exaggerated, it's definitely a position that could be deeper and a part of our offense that must be taken for granted.

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The man who brought more four-star football recruits to Lawrence during the past six years than any other coach is leaving Kansas.

A source close to the Kansas football program on Friday morning confirmed that running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Reggie Mitchell is leaving KU for a similar position on Bret Bielema’s staff at Arkansas.

The move, which no doubt comes with a raise and offers Mitchell a better opportunity to rack up victories in the immediate future, marks the second member of KU coach David Beaty’s staff to leave Lawrence after one year under Beaty and represents the third full-time assistant to be removed from Beaty’s cabinet. Gary Hyman, who spent 2015 as KU’s special teams coordinator, was reassigned in the offseason but is still with the program. Kevin Kane gave up his post as KU’s linebackers coach to take over as the defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois.

Mitchell, 55, worked under four head coaches at KU — five if you count 2014 interim coach Clint Bowen — and developed a reputation, both at Kansas and previous stops at Michigan State and Illinois, as one of the top recruiters in the nation.

According to a Friday morning report from SI.com, Mitchell will fill an opening left by former Arkansas special teams coordinator and running backs coach Jemal Singleton, who left last week to become the running backs coach for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.

Brandon Bourbon, a former four-star prospect whom Mitchell inspired to pick Kansas over Stanford back in 2010, said he was surprised to learn about Mitchell’s departure and sad that KU was losing someone so familiar with the program.

“He’s been the one constant all these years,” Bourbon told the Journal-World. “He’s a great recruiter and it’s crazy to think he won’t be with the program any more.”

Beyond his ability to entice Bourbon and others to join the Jayhawks, Bourbon said he always admired the way Mitchell pushed KU’s running backs.

“I like that he brought in all the aspects, running, blocking, pass catching and really tried to make us complete backs,” Bourbon said. “Plus, he was really good at emphasizing the discipline aspect and demanded that we were sharp in everything we did.”

With 33 years as college assistant, Mitchell was by far the most experienced coach on Beaty’s staff. According to a source in the athletic department, KU made significant efforts to keep Mitchell, who was in Arkansas on Wednesday.

The same source said KU already had received several inquiries about KU’s new job opening and added that attaching the title of recruiting coordinator was not a requirement.

Despite Mitchell’s years of service and quality recruiting, multiple sources in the football program used the same language on Friday when asked about Mitchell’s departure.

“(We) wish him the best, but the train keeps moving,” they said.

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During the past six seasons, Kansas University won just 12 football games in 72 tries and suffered through some of the worst games, stretches and seasons in school history.

And one man was there for every moment.

That man is now-former running-backs coach and recruiting coordinator Reggie Mitchell, who last Friday accepted a similar job at Arkansas under Razorbacks coach Bret Bielema.

After working for Glen Mason in the 1990s, Mitchell returned to KU under Turner Gill in 2010 and was one of the rare faces that did not change in the Anderson Family Football Complex as KU cycled through three head coaches — four if you count Clint Bowen’s interim era — during the rough stretch that followed the Mark Mangino era.

From bowl games under Mason to a winless season in 2015, Mitchell saw it all. And before leaving town for his new opportunity, Mitchell shared his thoughts on the current state of the KU program and what lies ahead.

“I really think the program is headed in the right direction,” Mitchell told the Journal-World. “You’ve got the right leadership, and you’ve finally got the right guys. That’s not a knock on anyone, but I think KU football is on an upward trend.”

Mitchell said he believed in the vision shared by Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger and second-year coach David Beaty and added that if not for the opportunity presented to him by Bielema, he would not be going anywhere.

“They are committed to getting things turned around and aren’t afraid to put in the work it’s going to take to get it done,” Mitchell said. “When you’re at a place for a while, you get comfortable in your surroundings and environment, so I’m excited to see a new place and a new way of doing things and to learn as much as I can at Arkansas.”

Asked if he still had head-coaching aspirations, the veteran assistant with 33 years of college experience said that was not a factor in his decision to leave KU for Arkansas.

“You know what? I don’t know,” Mitchell said. “I do know that guys who have been there and worked under coach Bielema have gone on to very successful things. So, right now, I’m just happy to be a part of it, and I’ll see where it takes me.”

Meanwhile, Beaty and KU will move forward looking to add a third new face to the staff for Year Two of the Beaty era. Todd Bradford replaced linebackers coach Kevin Kane, who left to become the defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois. And Jason Phillips joined the staff as a second wide-receivers coach, a move made possible by the reassignment of 2015 special-teams coach Gary Hyman, who remains on staff.

No timetable has been given for naming Mitchell’s replacement, but with spring practices starting in early March and recruiting the Class of 2017 already in full swing, Beaty likely will move quickly.

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