Recruiting: Three-star running back Michael Mitchell shares how his relationship with Coach Ganther secured his commitment

On Thursday, the University of Utah received a commitment from three-star running back Michael Mitchell from Middleburg, FL. Despite receiving 15 total offers, the likes of which included Iowa State, Louisville, Memphis, Coastal Carolina and Washington State, Mitchell committed to what he described as, "a great home for me," without even taking a visit to Salt Lake City yet.

"It [Utah's offer] means a lot to me. I actually have a bunch of offers but I felt like the way I connected with Coach Ganther, the way he presented to me, the way he came out to see me when I was playing ball and I talked to a couple players on the team, it just feels like home. I can't wait to get down there so I can actually see it for myself, but I believe what everyone is saying and I feel like it's going to be a great home for me," Mitchell explained.

As previously mentioned, Mitchell has yet to visit the University of Utah but that clearly didn't impact his decision. Rather than the facilities or atmosphere, the Utes secured Mitchell due to his solid relationship with Coach Quinton Ganther and his interest in Mitchell's life beyond football.

"It's not because of the school, it's because of the people that I've talked to that makes up a part of the school. Like I said, I've known Coach Q for a few months since he's seen me and I have a great relationship with him. I look up to him already as a mentor, so thats really one of the things that drove me to Utah," Mitchell said.

"When it comes to Coach Q, the first thing he asks me is, 'Mike hows your grades? Mike hows your mom?' He never asks me hows football going. So with Coach Q I can see its more than just football, it's how you relate to other people. Thats how we connected and have the relationship we have now," He added.

Like many other recruits, Utah's recent success and rise to the top of the Pac-12 also impacted Mitchell's decision as the Utes are proving themselves to be an elite-level program.

"When I looked at Utah, when I did my research, Utah is a big school," Mitchell said. "They just won a championship in the Pac-12, they're going hard every year. I wanted to go to a winning team, I love winning, I want something to drive me to do better and so the recent success drove me there also."

Before enrolling next summer, Mitchell is focused on his final high school season and becoming more versatile. According to the soon-to-be senior, he'll be playing as a slot-receiver in attempt to round out his game and make himself more of a threat out of the backfield.

Mitchell will also take his first official visit to Utah this August.

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