AUSTIN, Texas — For a guy who made two of the biggest plays in Georgia Bulldogs history the past two seasons, Adonai Mitchell should be used to celebrating touchdown catches by now.
But when it came to his first one for Texas in last week’s season opener against Rice, Mitchell admitted he was unsure exactly what he was supposed to do. It is fair to say the scene was different than he is used to: there was no confetti in the end zone, and the firing of Old Smokey the cannon can be unsettling for the uninitiated.
“I ain’t going to lie. I don’t know if y’all could tell, but I didn’t know what to do. I was just like, ‘Hey, what’s up, hook ’em,'” said Mitchell, who high-fived a couple of fans at the back of the end zone. “I’ve got to get better.”
Texas hopes he will have plenty of opportunities to fine-tune his scoring celebrations, starting this weekend when the 11th-ranked Longhorns (1-0) play at No. 3 Alabama (1-0).
Mitchell was one of the biggest talents to hit the NCAA transfer portal after last season, and the former Bulldog is a new wrinkle in a showdown with the Crimson Tide that is both a rematch of last season’s 20-19 Alabama win in Austin and a preview of a potential future rivalry when the Longhorns leave the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference in 2024.