San Diego State, Utah, and Minnesota the final options for Steffon Mitchell

There are still plenty of players left in the NCAA Basketball transfer portal but not many of them have a four-year history of starting at a power conference school. That’s the case of Steffon Mitchell, a player that has always flown under the radar at Boston College, while the guards got most of the limelight.

Mitchell is a 6’8 power forward that has a grand total of 98 starts in four seasons with the Eagles. He’s never been a major offensive force, with a career-high of 9.1 ppg from this past season. However, Mitchell is really good at everything else, averaging around 8.0 rpg in all four seasons, and has been named an All-ACC defender as well. He can pass, guard multiple positions, and is as good of a “glue guy” as a team can ask for.

Now in the portal, Mitchell has been getting interest from a number of power conference and top-tier mid-major programs. And now we know which teams are in play of landing the power forward, assuming that he doesn’t eventually go pro.

Each team has something different to offer Mitchell, between playing time and a chance to win. Here’s a closer look at how he would currently fit on each roster.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

A coaching change has completely changed the roster, with up to six available scholarships at the moment. Starting forward Brandon Johnson recently leaving opens up a clear spot for Mitchell to start in the frontcourt and receive plenty of minutes. The other current forwards on the roster include former D-II star Parker Fox, GW transfer Jamison Battle and incoming three-star center  Treyton Thompson.

The Gophers did add a few other transfer guards as well but at this moment, they have the worst roster in the Big Ten. But Mitchell is used to playing for a bottom-tier power conference program. What they do offer is the chance for him to have a larger role in an offense than he ever had, helping his pro stock. If Mitchell can become a double-double scorer while still being solid everywhere else, he’ll be able to make good money at the next level.

San Diego State Aztecs

The Aztecs have been very busy in the portal, landing four different players. The most notable was All-Pac 12 guard Matt Bradley but the team also landed Portland forward Tahirou Diabate and Duquesne stretch forward Chad Baker. TCU big Jaedon LeDee is also part of the roster now.

San Diego State is coming off another trip to the NCAA Tournament and has the best odds of all three teams of doing so again in 2022. But assuming that starting center Nathan Mensah is indeed coming back, that makes it a tough fit personnel-wise. Mitchell can play at the power forward but is a career 27% three-point shooting. The lack of spacing would be harmful for their offense since Mensah doesn’t shoot at all.

Utah Utes

Another program undergoing a roster overhaul, the Utes have landed several transfer guards, most notably, Marco Anthony and David Jenkins Jr. They lost a couple of players in the frontcourt but have retained 7’0 center Branden Carlson and 6’9 forward Riley Battin. The duo started a combined 31 games last season in the frontcourt but things could look very different with former Utah State head coach Craig Smith.

Mitchell would give Coach Smith a defensive-minded big man that he was used to with Neemias Queta with the Aggies. There would be some fit issues offensively here as well but it’s more important to have a capable frontcourt player to add to the depth for Utah to have a chance in the Pac-12 next season.