There have been plenty of schools that have expressed interest and offered 2024 athlete recruit Jason Mitchell up to this point in the process. The junior do-everything player at Serra High School in Gardena has been on some visits, and he has been able to get to know coaching staffs of some of the programs in pursuit.

Behind the scenes he has been working on his academics, and he has progressed enough that he now has the opportunity to begin his college career a year ahead of schedule. Back in early September, the 6-foot-4 prospect took to social media to send out the message that he will have the chance to reclassify at the end of the current school year.

Now past the midway point of his junior season, Mitchell continues to keep a possible move to the 2023 class under consideration. He is not giving himself any kind of hard deadline to make that decision, but he is approaching both his recruitment and his academics with the plan to ultimately reclassify.

“Really, right now, I’m just acting like 100% that’s what I’m doing,” he said. “Either way, right now, that’s what I’m acting like. I don’t really have a date, but I would like at the end of the season to know for sure.”

Mitchell says as it stands now he is “50/50” about the decision but sees no harm in at least having all the pieces in place to reclassify should he eventually decide to make the move.

The announcement of a potential move to the 2023 class has naturally changed his recruitment. He says more schools are becoming involved and ones, such as USC, that have previously already been involved are intensifying their pursuit.

“Honestly, it’s a lot right now,” Mitchell said. “I’m just doing what I gotta do as a high schooler. I’m handling my football and school, and then let my parents handle everything else.”

Florida State and Tennessee are two programs that have been in contact with Mitchell, and he says USC has continued to make a push as well. Still, he is keeping a closed lid on which programs are standing out most in his recruitment.

“Really who I’ve talked to, everybody has been keeping consistent talking to me,” he said. “So, everybody, they’re all up there right now. I’m really clueless. I don’t know yet.”

Mitchell is keeping an open mind, butt is hard to ignore USC when assessing his recruitment. His dad played for the Trojans, and it is the hometown program for the Serra standout defensive back, quarterback and receiver.