How Brant Mitchell plans to become more impactful for Georgia Tech

November 26, 2016, Athens: Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason walks off the field as Georgia Tech linebacker Brant Mitchell intercepts his pass and starts the celebration on the final play of the game for a 28-27 victory over Georgia in a NCAA college football rivalry game on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in Athens. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: Ken Sugiura

Credit: Ken Sugiura

November 26, 2016, Athens: Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason walks off the field as Georgia Tech linebacker Brant Mitchell intercepts his pass and starts the celebration on the final play of the game for a 28-27 victory over Georgia in a NCAA college football rivalry game on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in Athens. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

It hasn’t taken long for Georgia Tech linebacker Brant Mitchell to figure out that P.J. Davis will be a difficult player for the Yellow Jackets to replace. And it now falls upon Mitchell’s shoulders to be a part of the solution.

“Everybody that saw P.J. knew that he was going to fly around and hit somebody,” Mitchell said. “That’s definitely something we miss, just his energy.”

Davis led Tech in tackles for two of his final three seasons, and likely would have led the team a third time last season if not for a hamstring injury that kept him out of two games. Mitchell started all 13 games last season as a sophomore and was fourth on the team in tackles with 71.

“I’ve still got a lot of work to do,” Mitchell said.

This spring, Tech coaches are counting on Mitchell to become a more productive player and provide leadership as a junior. Part of his challenge for the spring is becoming more adept at shedding blockers and making more impact plays.