Utah State Football aiming to get Mitchell, O’Neale out to Aggie game

Utah State Football is doing their due diligence to get Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell and teammate Royce O’Neale out to an Aggie game.

One year ago, no one could have guessed just how much rising Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell would take over the state of Utah. He went from a low lottery pick to one of the NBA’s most captivating stars in seemingly the blink of an eye.

Mitchell has been able to do so by being not only a fantastic player on the court, but a phenomenal person off of it. His example to fans and treatment of those who revere him so much has been nothing less than spectacular.

One example of this has been his constant willingness to make himself a part of the community in which he plays. He’s done this in several different ways, but recently it’s been by showing his support to the teams at University of Utah. He was present at Utah Football’s home opener a few weeks back, and he dropped in for a visit to the Utah Men’s Basketball team as well.

Beyond that, as my J-Notes colleague Ryan Aston reported earlier this week, the University of Utah Football Equipment staff created a sweet custom Mitchell jersey, which they displayed on Twitter.

It was a sweet look, to be sure, but they aren’t alone in their pursuit of Donovan Mitchell’s undying fandom. Another of the state’s schools has effectively thrown their hat in the ring in a big way. Namely, Utah State University.

Unfortunately, USU can sometimes be overlooked in a state in which the U and BYU are considered king. However, with a raucous and passionate fanbase, a football team that’s off to a great start with quarterback Jordan Love turning several heads, and the awesome backdrop that is Logan, Utah, the team definitely deserves some additional love this season.

And they’re aiming to get that in the form of a visit from Donovan Mitchell. I’m not going to lie, the Ute uniform was sweet, but the Aggie faithful are kicking things up a notch. Check out what I mean in the tweet below from Utah State Football’s Director of Player Personnel Zach Nyborg–

Let’s get this straight. Not only is he getting the custom jersey (in the much sharper Aggie Blue and Fighting White, in my humble opinion), but also the chance to be an honorary captain and to participate in the coin toss, all in a game televised on ESPN2, just as an added bonus.

A custom video of The Hurd, USU’s rowdy student section, calling for ‘Spida’ to come to Maverik Stadium was even included for good measure (included below). Honestly, I don’t know how Donovan’s going to be able to turn this down.

But as if all that wasn’t enough, USU has everything thought out. They’ve even extended a similar enticing invite to Mitchell’s pal Royce O’Neale.

After Mitchell received publicity at the University of Utah game while Royce O’Neale was seemingly left out of the spotlight, I was quick to point out that because of his improvement, O’Neale very likely won’t continue to fly under the radar for long. Utah State is proving just that.

They’ve also offered O’Neale his own custom whiteout U-State jersey and the chance to be the Honorary Flagbearer for the night–

https://twitter.com/znyborg/status/1040701458092421120

Really though, could this get any sweeter?

Honestly, as an Aggie alum myself, I’m definitely biased in this matter, but I really hope that Mitchell and O’Neale are able to make the trip. Part of that is for selfish reasons, sure, but that aside, it’d also be great for the avid Jazz fans in the northern part of the state to be rewarded in this matter.

Utah State fans are about as passionate as they come, and that goes for both their Aggie and Jazz fandom. Being treated by the presence of Donovan Mitchell would be an absolute and well-deserved thrill.

And I guarantee that The Hurd will be out in force and will leave an impression on the Jazz star. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern recently referred to the Jazz as the NBA’s best fanbase. I’d say the Aggie fanbase deserves a similar degree of credit in their respective sphere.

All that’s left to do now is await Donovan Mitchell’s response to the generous invite that’s been extended. I know I speak for Aggie fans everywhere when I say, let’s hope the answer is yes. We’ll be sure to keep you updated here on The J-Notes when and if that time comes.