Mitchell's Plight: Former Vol prepares for playing in CFL

Former University of Tennessee defensive end Xavier Mitchell is finally getting his chance to play pro football, and he appreciates it more than he ever imagined he could.

The past year has been quite the odyssey for Mitchell, from the ups and downs of trying to make an NFL roster to trying to make a living with odd jobs.

The last time UT fans saw Mitchell perform was when he took a knee to propose to Lady Vols All-American softball player Tiffany Huff during halftime of a UT women's basketball game at Thompson-Boling Area on Feb. 24.

The next time the 22-year-old Mitchell takes a knee it will be with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League. He reports to Vancouver on Wednesday for training camp after signing a two-year deal.

"If I do well, and work hard, I can get back in the NFL,'' said Mitchell, who after going undrafted after the 2007 season signed a free-agent deal with the Cleveland Browns. "All I've ever wanted was the opportunity.''

UT fans may remember Mitchell best for his key stop in a 31-30 win over Air Force his senior year, when the Falcons, trailing by a point with 1:35 left, elected to go for a 2-point conversion.

"I remember Coach (John) Chavis made a call - Shade Blitz Hook - for the first time that whole game on the play,'' Mitchell said. "I was supposed to widen out a step. I just came off the ball as hard as I could, the tackle released, but I shoved him back and there was the ball carrier.''

And, there was the victory, and Mitchell had reason to believe he'd be on his way to the NFL after his senior season.

Instead, one year later, he was taking a third-shift job for FedEx and attending Tennessee football games as a spectator.

"I was just dying inside,'' Mitchell said. "I had a lot of bad feelings about what happened with the NFL.''

Mitchell looks back on his Pro Day workout at UT as the root of the difficulty and eventual failure he had trying to make an NFL roster last summer.

"I did terrible, and it wasn't because I wasn't working out,'' said Mitchell, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.95 seconds - one-tenth of a second off what he ran as a player at UT. "I don't think I got the right training. I was trying to go to school and train, because I was finishing my degree. But I didn't get as good of training as the guys who went away, and that sub-par Pro Day knocked me down a lot.''

Mitchell signed a free-agent deal with the Browns and reported to camp last June.

"I felt personally I was as good or better than the other guys at the position,'' Mitchell said. "But they came to me and said, 'You did a great job and a lot of good things,' but they had to cut two or three people.''

Mitchell received phone calls from the Browns' linebackers coaches telling him he had done a good job at the camp.

"That made me feel like I really was good enough to be on the roster,'' Mitchell said. "But I was still disappointed, definitely. I really got a strong taste of what the NFL was like, as far as the business side of it goes.''

That taste would sour later in the summer after Mitchell re-enrolled at UT to finish his political science degree.

"I got a call the week of my final exams, and my agent says Buffalo wants to fly me up there and sign me,'' Mitchell said. "I'd told my professors it might happen, but still, it was at the most opportune time.''

Mitchell received the call at 5 p.m., threw clothes in his suitcase - "they weren't even folded,'' he said - and caught a 7 p.m. flight due-in to Rochester, N.Y., at 1 a.m.

"I get to the camp, go through some drills, and the player personnel guy tells me go eat lunch while he talks this over with the GM,'' Mitchell said. "The guy comes back and says initially they wanted to sign me, but they've changed their mind.''

Mitchell couldn't help but wonder what had happened; did he do something wrong? Was he simply not good enough?

"I was upset because they'd taken me from school, now I had less than one day to study,'' he said. "I'm in Buffalo less than 24 hours and on my way back, and I don't know why.''

Mitchell told his agent he was done with football and took the job at FedEx unloading and loading trucks from the wee-hours of the morning until after sun-up.

The lure of football proved too strong, however. Mitchell found himself at Tennessee games as a spectator, wondering what he could do with another chance.

In November, he called his agent and told him he wanted another crack at the sport, even if it wasn't in the NFL.

"At that point, I was weighing about 280, getting out of shape and disgusted with myself,'' Mitchell said. "I was ready to get back in shape, so I hit it hard and lost 15 pounds in a month.''

In the meantime, Mitchell's agent struck a deal with the B.C. Lions. The money, which Mitchell prefers not to disclose, was not great.

"But I don't play for the money,'' Mitchell said. "I play to put food on the table and provide for my family.''

Mitchell left FedEx in February and took another job, this time, as a substitute fourth-grade teacher.

"You remember Michael Frogg who played for UT?'' he said. "Well, his wife teaches a fourth-grade class at Dogwood Elementary, and I would sub for her.''

Mitchell said working with the students was more rewarding than he could have imagined.

"I had to pay rent, live and eat, and so I appreciated those jobs and those experiences,'' Mitchell said. "I have more of an appreciation for those types of jobs than I ever had before.

Chavis, now the defensive coordinator at LSU, said he's not surprised to hear Mitchell is getting another shot at football.

"Xavier was a very intense player, and he brought a passion to the practice field just like he did in the games,'' Chavis said. "Xavier was always prepared and always gave 100 percent.

"A lot of making it into the NFL is being at the right spot at the right time, and there's no question Xavier can make it if he gets in the right situation.''

Vancouver is a long way from Knoxville, but Mitchell has come far in setting himself up for the CFL opportunity.

"I'm going to give it my best, and if I'm good enough, great, and if not, I did what I could,'' Mitchell said. "Some day I want to coach, and I'd love to do that at the college level because I love what the college game is all about.

"Coach (Phillip) Fulmer and Coach Chavis got me wanting to do that, because they did it the right way, and they knew how to win.''