Game 2 Player to Watch: Mitchell Wilcox
NEXT GAME: USF (0-1) at Georgia Tech (0-1)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/2 p.m.
LOCATION: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta
TV/RADIO: ACC Network/1250 AM, Bulls Unlimited
SERIES: USF leads, 1-0 (49-38 win in 2018)
GAME NOTES: USF |
Georgia Tech
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 6, 2019 – Coaches have made it clear that tight end
Mitchell Wilcox must get more targets this week and the Mackey Award candidate is ready to make the most of them.
After catching one pass in the season opener, the player nicknamed "Money Mitch" wants to help USF cash in on scoring opportunities Saturday at Georgia Tech.
"That's something I'm prepared and ready for," he said. "I definitely know that I can make plays for this offense. It's great to know they have that confidence in me."
Self-belief is as strong as ever for a senior who has broken nearly every major record for his position in the program's history books.
The Tarpon Springs, Fla., native currently owns top USF tight end marks for season and career receiving yards (540 in 2018, 987 total) and single-season receptions (43) in addition to tallying the most single-game receptions (8). That record was set last fall against Illinois at Solder Field and the hostile environment away from home certainly motivated Wilcox during his career high 109-yard afternoon.
"The crowd noise in general, it's almost infectious. It just gets me going," he said. "I get excited and fired up for it."
Wilcox is eager to play in front of another large road crowd expected to attend Georgia Tech's home opener, which has been advertised as a "whiteout" game for the home crowd at historic Bobby Dowd Stadium. If he gets at least three catches, Wilcox can mark his name atop USF's tight end career receptions list above current record holder Sean Price (75 receptions from 2012-15).
Wilcox was fortunate to spend a summer and redshirt freshman season as a teammate of Price, who paid it forward to "Money Mitch" by passing on knowledge, especially blocking techniques.
"He not only had so many on-the-field things to teach me, but also off the field, just about being a man," Wilcox said. "The record is almost like a tribute to him once I break that. It definitely is sentimental to me."
Regardless of the potential record, what Wilcox wants most is for the Bulls to break into the win column Saturday against an opponent they defeated last year in Tampa. After a season-opening loss to No. 17/16 Wisconsin, the elder statesman has been providing valuable guidance throughout this week with a mission of helping USF get on the winning track.
"Leadership comes into play here, definitely when we don't get the result we want," Wilcox said. "We just gotta bring the young guys along. If they're contributing – special teams, anything – they've gotta follow the older guys and just really work hard to stay the course."
Solid leadership skills, a strong will to win and the ability to do it all as an NFL prototype tight end are traits that have scouts feeling good about Wilcox's pro potential. Prior to the season, the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder was ranked No. 4 among senior tight end prospects for the 2020 NFL Draft by NFL.com Senior Analyst Gil Brandt.
Wilcox could have gone pro after his record-breaking 2018 season but couldn't pass up the opportunity to finish what he started at a university he loves. Benefits of coming back to campus included finishing his degree in marketing (sports sales and entertainment concentration) and playing a big role in new coordinator
Kerwin Bell's #PlayFastScoreFaster system.
"Senior year, I'm trying to take it all in. I'm trying to control what I can control in the game, being effective in the run game and beating the guy in front of me," he said. "That's what I plan on doing the rest of the season – catching a lot of passes and blocking for our playmakers."
MORE MITCH NOTABLES
HE LOVES CONTACT: Being physical on the football field is a forte for Wilcox, who continues to provide crushing blocks for the Bulls after registering 61 total tackles and 17.5 tackles for loss as a senior for Tarpon Springs High School.- HE DOES WHATEVER IT TAKES: Following sweltering fall camp practices, Wilcox would consume 5,000 to 10,000 calories per day and carry around a gallon jug of Powerade/water in order to refuel his 245-pound frame. "This new offense is calling for me to be explosive and run a lot of quick routes and deep routes," he said. "I'm all for that, but you have to give something to get something." Read about how nutrition and hydration were essential for the Bulls in fall camp HERE.
- INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HIS FAMILY: Wilcox's father, Charles, has had a long career in the U.S. Coast Guard and he's currently a reserve. Charles and Wilcox's mother, Carole, attended USF's very first football game in 1997 and Mitchell has been a lifelong Bulls follower. "Being so close to Tampa, 45 minutes away, I saw a vision, with the opportunity to come here and play some big-time football," he said. "I think I'm trying to see that through."
- HE LOVES ICE CREAM, LOTS OF IT: Like head coach Charlie Strong, who is a big Blue Bell chocolate fan, Wilcox loves ice cream. The Wilcox family even has an ice cream scoop that's passed down through members and its ready for any helping size thanks to a reinforced shovel handle.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22nd season of football, and 19th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program's 150th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
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– #GoBulls –
