SE: Q&A with K-State Football Senior Jordan Mittie
Dec 27, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Jordan Mittie was almost here, in Memphis, Tennessee, playing at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. And in two different ways.
K-State's graduate transfer defensive tackle, in his second and final season with the Wildcats, started his post high school football career in the Naval Prep Academy in Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island — the first step toward playing for K-State's AutoZone Liberty Bowl opponent, No. 21 Navy.
Mittie, son of K-State women's basketball coach Jeff Mittie, took his career a different route, however. He ended up at Texas State from 2015-17. There, he played for two coaches in three seasons and graduated with a degree in finance with two seasons of eligibility left, thanks to a redshirt year in 2015.
The idea of becoming a graduate transfer enticed Mittie, first from an educational standpoint in terms of graduate school opportunities. Also, the chance to play for a program where making bowl games were the norm seemed like a win-win. He never played for one at Texas State.
In his third recruitment, Memphis was on his short list. He nearly visited the city he's about to end his college career in, in the same stadium as the Tigers. Then, he visited K-State. The decision made itself after that. Mittie, like his father, as well as his uncle, Brad Seib, who played for K-State in 1990-93, was a Wildcat.
Mittie, second on the team this season in tackles-for-loss (5.5), sat down with K-State Sports Extra on Thursday evening in the historic Peabody Hotel, shortly before the famous duck march, to talk about his career leading up to Tuesday's finale.
SE: Have you thought about how it's all kind of come full circle for you? How soon did that click?
JM: Pretty much right away. Definitely with Navy, obviously playing Navy. I think my mom was the one who kind of reminded me that Memphis had been one of the (graduate transfer) options and that was where we were going to play, in their stadium. That was pretty cool, but I'd probably heard from like 15 or 20 people telling me how it's full circle and everything. I'm just, like, 'Yeah, it is pretty crazy how it worked out this way.'
SE: Regardless of leaving Navy, what can you say about your brief time there and the positives you took away from that experience?
JM: Really just a total work ethic, because I kind of have an idea of what those guys go through and what their days are like. I respect all those guys and obviously what they do. They're all really impressive. Going from that environment to just a regular college environment, it's kind of a crazy switch, but honestly, I think it did kind of allow me to excel just because I was used to working at a high level for those three, four months.
SE: How much respect do you have for Navy, its program and players, given your experience there?
JM: I have a ton of respect. Obviously being there, I know what they go through on a day-by-day basis. I have a ton of respect for them.
SE: To end your career on a bowl trip, your first one, how sweet has this final ride been and how excited are you to be part of this experience?
JM: I'm really excited. That was obviously, after missing out my whole career to play in one, one of the bigger goals coming into this season, to at least be bowl eligible, on top of all the other goals we set out to do. I'm excited for any bowl and I'm really excited to be here.
SE: I think your career is also unique in that you played for four different head coaches, five if you count Navy. What have all those transitions and experiences kind of taught you?
JM: I'd probably just say that there's a lot of ways of doing something, but the one thing that's key is just kind of taking that personal ownership of that hard work and work ethic that it takes to be successful at any level, really.
SE: For someone who's dealt with so many transitions, what about Coach Chris Klieman's first year here and transitioning with him stands out in terms of what he did well?
JM: He just came in and supported this team from the beginning. Really, he worked with the players as equals and he pushed us to take ownership of the program and kind of gave us the keys to be able to do that. That's what, I think, all of us older guys have really appreciated, the ownership that he's given our class and really the whole team.
SE: What's most unique or special about this senior class? You come from all over, have spent different amounts of time here…what's allowed you all to come together like you have?
JM: Really just those guys who have been here before I got here. They stuck together through a lot of hard times, a lot of hard stuff, and made it here with a new coach. We've been able to be successful this year. I think that's pretty special. I was just glad I could be part of it.
SE: No. 1 thing you'll miss about K-State?
JM: It's kind of cliché, but I'd say the people. It really has grown on me as a special place just because of not only the people on this team and at this school but really just the people in the community and how they treat everyone around there. It's pretty special.
Jordan Mittie was almost here, in Memphis, Tennessee, playing at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. And in two different ways.
K-State's graduate transfer defensive tackle, in his second and final season with the Wildcats, started his post high school football career in the Naval Prep Academy in Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island — the first step toward playing for K-State's AutoZone Liberty Bowl opponent, No. 21 Navy.
Mittie, son of K-State women's basketball coach Jeff Mittie, took his career a different route, however. He ended up at Texas State from 2015-17. There, he played for two coaches in three seasons and graduated with a degree in finance with two seasons of eligibility left, thanks to a redshirt year in 2015.
The idea of becoming a graduate transfer enticed Mittie, first from an educational standpoint in terms of graduate school opportunities. Also, the chance to play for a program where making bowl games were the norm seemed like a win-win. He never played for one at Texas State.
In his third recruitment, Memphis was on his short list. He nearly visited the city he's about to end his college career in, in the same stadium as the Tigers. Then, he visited K-State. The decision made itself after that. Mittie, like his father, as well as his uncle, Brad Seib, who played for K-State in 1990-93, was a Wildcat.
Mittie, second on the team this season in tackles-for-loss (5.5), sat down with K-State Sports Extra on Thursday evening in the historic Peabody Hotel, shortly before the famous duck march, to talk about his career leading up to Tuesday's finale.
SE: Have you thought about how it's all kind of come full circle for you? How soon did that click?
JM: Pretty much right away. Definitely with Navy, obviously playing Navy. I think my mom was the one who kind of reminded me that Memphis had been one of the (graduate transfer) options and that was where we were going to play, in their stadium. That was pretty cool, but I'd probably heard from like 15 or 20 people telling me how it's full circle and everything. I'm just, like, 'Yeah, it is pretty crazy how it worked out this way.'
SE: Regardless of leaving Navy, what can you say about your brief time there and the positives you took away from that experience?
JM: Really just a total work ethic, because I kind of have an idea of what those guys go through and what their days are like. I respect all those guys and obviously what they do. They're all really impressive. Going from that environment to just a regular college environment, it's kind of a crazy switch, but honestly, I think it did kind of allow me to excel just because I was used to working at a high level for those three, four months.
SE: How much respect do you have for Navy, its program and players, given your experience there?
JM: I have a ton of respect. Obviously being there, I know what they go through on a day-by-day basis. I have a ton of respect for them.
SE: To end your career on a bowl trip, your first one, how sweet has this final ride been and how excited are you to be part of this experience?
JM: I'm really excited. That was obviously, after missing out my whole career to play in one, one of the bigger goals coming into this season, to at least be bowl eligible, on top of all the other goals we set out to do. I'm excited for any bowl and I'm really excited to be here.
SE: I think your career is also unique in that you played for four different head coaches, five if you count Navy. What have all those transitions and experiences kind of taught you?
JM: I'd probably just say that there's a lot of ways of doing something, but the one thing that's key is just kind of taking that personal ownership of that hard work and work ethic that it takes to be successful at any level, really.
SE: For someone who's dealt with so many transitions, what about Coach Chris Klieman's first year here and transitioning with him stands out in terms of what he did well?
JM: He just came in and supported this team from the beginning. Really, he worked with the players as equals and he pushed us to take ownership of the program and kind of gave us the keys to be able to do that. That's what, I think, all of us older guys have really appreciated, the ownership that he's given our class and really the whole team.
SE: What's most unique or special about this senior class? You come from all over, have spent different amounts of time here…what's allowed you all to come together like you have?
JM: Really just those guys who have been here before I got here. They stuck together through a lot of hard times, a lot of hard stuff, and made it here with a new coach. We've been able to be successful this year. I think that's pretty special. I was just glad I could be part of it.
SE: No. 1 thing you'll miss about K-State?
JM: It's kind of cliché, but I'd say the people. It really has grown on me as a special place just because of not only the people on this team and at this school but really just the people in the community and how they treat everyone around there. It's pretty special.
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