Mike Ridaught
Devan Mitchum is back for his senior year at Santa Fe High School (Alachua) and will play football and baseball for the Raiders.
The rising senior has a 4.48 time in the 40-yard dash and a 6.8 in the 60-yard dash. He has a 185-pound bench press and a 325-pound squat.
“Devan is a guy that is passionate about sports and competing,” said Santa Fe football coach Jared Allen. “He brings an attitude to our program. He makes others around him better because they know if they don’t compete, they are going to have to hear about how he is dominating them in drills.”
Mitchum, who will play wide receiver and cornerback this fall, led the Raiders last year with 28 catches for 318 yards for an average of 53 yards receiving per game.
“Devan is a guy that is dependable when you need a play, because he practically catches everything,” Allen said. “He’s a fun guy to coach because he wants to be really good.”
Mitchum’s goals this year are to earn all-state recognition, score 10-plus touchdowns, finish with 1,000-plus receiving yards, and “make all my teammates better,” he said.
His favorite quote is “hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard.”
“As I stated earlier it’s his competitive drive,” Allen said. “Whether he is on the baseball field or football field, you know you’re going to get his best every time out.”
His favorite high school sports moment so far “was making the game-winning catch against Union County in 2020.”
Mitchum, who was an All Area honorable mention last year as a junior, said he is looking forward to “being a leader and leading our team to state.”
On the baseball diamond, he will play center field and pitch. Last year, Mitchum helped lead the Raiders to a 23-3 record, a district title, a postseason berth, and their best regular-season winning percentage in school history.
“Devan brings some swagger to our club and is the ultimate competitor,” said Santa Fe baseball coach Travis Yeckring. “He wears his heart on his sleeve and I love that about him.”
Last year Mitchum was among the top hitters with a .341 batting average. He was second on the team with 28 hits and fourth on the team with 15 runs batted in.
Mitchum led the team in stolen bases. He was only caught stealing once last year, finishing 13-of-14 on the base paths.
The All Area honorable mention was also 4-0 on the mound with a 1.75 earned run average. He had 29 strikeouts in only 24 innings pitched.
“He is so gifted athletically but I’m most proud of how he’s continued to progress as a teammate and young man,” Yeckring said. “I can’t wait to watch him excel on both the football and baseball field this season.”
The Santa Fe football team will host Bradford (Starke) this Friday in the Kickoff Classic. The Raiders open the regular season next Friday, Aug. 27, at home against Alachua County rival Newberry.