Ball State didn’t have to go far to find a standout defensive playmaker in the 2027 college football recruiting class.
It was just a four-hour trip east on U.S. Route 30 for the Cardinals, who picked up a commitment from Canton McKinley High School linebacker Amare Mitchell.
While the commitment looks like it came fast as the Cardinals offered the 6-foot-3, 220-pound outside linebacker on June 10 and he committed 11 days later, Ball State has developed a relationship for more than 12 months.
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“[Defensive run game coordinator Adam] Siwicki, my position coach, has been recruiting me for a little over a year now,” Mitchell said in a message to the USA Today Network. “He offered me midway through June and I took an official visit and loved it! That’s what really made it easy, for sure.”
He committed to Ball State on June 21 over the likes of USF, Howard, Fordham, Ohio, Akron, Youngstown State, Buffalo, Temple, UConn and Eastern Michigan.
His 12 tackles for loss last season as a junior and 4.5 sacks have colleges looking at him as an edge at the next level. Among his 2025 highlights: a 38-yard defensive touchdown on a scoop and score of a Warren Harding fumble in the season opener.
Mitchell becomes the 10th commit overall commit for Ball State in the 2027 and just the fourth on defense.
He joins safety Demond Green (Frederick Douglas/Lexington, KY) and cornerbacks Jaiden Daniels (Hoban) and Sebastian Moore (North Side/Ft. Wayne, Ind.) on the defensive side of the ball.
“The Cardinals are getting a competitor who is going to be ready to compete every chance he gets,” Mitchell said. “I’m also a great teammate on and off the field.”
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton McKinley football’s Amare Mitchell commits to Ball State
Reporting by Brad Bournival, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brad Bournival, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
