Mitchell says the Florida Gators have been always been his dream school

On Saturday, the Florida Gators had several instate prospects on campus for the 2021 class and the state of Florida is once again loaded in next year’s class.

2021 safety Dakota Mitchell (5-11, Winter Park, FL. High) was one of those on campus on Saturday and he enjoyed talking with the coaching staff.

“I loved the visit as always,” Mitchell said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “I got to talk to Coach Dan [Mullen] for a little and talk with Coach Rat [Keiwan Ratliff].”

Mitchell was shocked at how loud it was in the Swamp and he says that he enjoyed seeing the fans into the game.

“The atmosphere was so live, it had me turnt the whole time,” he said on the atmosphere in the Swamp. “I loved the atmosphere and the game was live too.”

After the game was over, Mitchell had the chance to talk with Keiwan Ratliff and the recruiting staff member had a message for him.

“He was just telling me I should’ve came earlier so I could’ve have had a 1-on-1 talk with Coach Dan to talk to him about me committing,” Mitchell said of the message from Ratliff. “He said we could watch film with him and stuff and that next time I come that I need to come way earlier.”

Head coach Dan Mullen has talked with Mitchell some since the Gators offered him and the message has been simple and to the point about continuing to work hard.

“He said I will play strong safety,” he said of what Mullen has said to him. “He was like keep kicking butt on the field and stuff and it was a good feeling to meet him. It’s going to get even better when I can talk with him more.”

Mitchell hasn’t been shy about his interest in the Gators since he got the offer and he says it has been a dream to wear the Orange and Blue since he was little.

“Everything was just giving me more reasons to commit there,” Mitchell said of his interest in Florida. “I’ve been a Florida fan since I was like four years old so that’s my been my dream school for the longest. I love how they do stuff over there and the atmosphere is just crazy and I like the coaches. I feel like it’s a good fit for me.”

Florida does have some competition for Mitchell as one of the Gators rivals is also recruiting the safety hard.

“Florida State and West Virginia,” he said on the other schools recruiting him hard. “I plan on visiting Florida State soon.”

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.