15 Days to Purdue Football: DaMarcus Mitchell

Purdue needed help at linebacker last year, and it definitely got it in today’s player.

DaMarcus Mitchell - Sr.

Thibodaux, LA (SW Mississippi Community College)

6’3”, 265 pounds

Defensive End/Linebacker

2021 Projection: Starter

For his first year at the FBS level last year Mitchell had a great season. Purdue brought him in to shore up the linebacker position and he did more than that. He ended up starting five of the six games, finishing third on the team with 34 tackles. He also had six tackles for loss, a sack, and two pass breakups. Against Illinois he was a terror with 11 tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup.

Mitchell will probably play mostly on the end opposite George Karlaftis this year, and his ability to take advantage of all he attention big George gets is huge. I don’t think it is a coincidence that in the two games George was healthy Mitchell was his most productive. He can also play at linebacker still, and that hybrid versatility is huge. His ability to be disruptive up front only helps the secondary, and that, in turn, makes the overall defense significantly better.

He is probably one of the most critical players on the defense.