BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Olivet Nazarene University Head Football Coach Avante Mitchell spent much of his summer inside an NFL quarterback room, working alongside Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy and the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff as part of the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
The Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship was started in 1987 by Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh to give college and high school coaches hands-on experience with NFL teams during offseason programs and training camps. The goal is to develop coaching talent and open doors to the highest level of the game. Spots are highly competitive, and Mitchell’s selection came after years of applying. Along the way, he advanced through video interviews and film-grading evaluations. 
When the call from Pittsburgh came in July, the timing presented a challenge. Each NFL franchise runs its fellowship differently and the Steelers’ fellowship overlapped with Olivet’s own training camp.
“After learning the specific time commitment and the conflict it created with our team’s training camp, initially I wasn’t sure if I would be able to accept such a prestigious opportunity,” Mitchell said. “My wife and coaches encouraged me to go, so I spoke with a couple of my mentors about the opportunity. I was also blessed to receive the support of our university president, Dr. Gregg Chenoweth, and our vice president, Dr. Jason Stephens. Their support allowed me to pursue an opportunity that I knew would be invaluable to my growth as a coach and ultimately benefit our program.”
Mitchell handed day-to-day leadership of the Tigers’ camp to Associate Head Coach Terrance Wilson and Assistant Head Coach Keith Beckham, who also serve as the team’s coordinators.
“There was a ton of trust,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been together for about seven years now, so they know my heartbeat and they did a phenomenal job.”
Training Camp with Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers
For close to a month, Mitchell worked 15- to 16-hour days in Pittsburgh. His schedule was filled with staff, position, unit and team meetings, along with walk-throughs, practices and lift sessions. He also served on the coaching staff on the sidelines for two preseason games. 
From his first day to his last, Mitchell was assigned to the quarterbacks. The room included Head Coach Mike McCarthy, Quarterbacks Coach Tom Arth and Offensive Coordinator Brian Angelichio, along with quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar.
“My hat’s off to Pittsburgh,” said Mitchell. “My expectation going in was that I would be an observer, off to the side with a notebook, just kind of seeing everything from afar. But from day one I was put into a coaching role, assisting the quarterbacks coach. Other coaches, like assistant head coach Joe Whitt Jr. helped me get the most out of this fellowship. The entire organization was so supportive of my development as a coach.”
“And I was given assignments to contribute to the team. At one point I had to grade out every rep that the quarterbacks had taken for the majority of camp. That was close to 1,000 reps,” Mitchell recalled, and with a laugh added, “Who am I to grade out Aaron Rodgers?”
Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP now in his 22nd NFL season, continually impressed Mitchell with his work ethic and attention to detail.
“Coach McCarthy and Coach Arth teach the base fundamentals of quarterback play every day, at the NFL level. Aaron Rodgers could have had a mindset of, ‘I’m going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I don’t have to focus on these little things,’” Mitchell said. “But every single tiny detail, he’s attacking it.”
Bringing NFL Lessons Back to Bourbonnais
For Mitchell, the fellowship was about more than his own development. It was about finding ways to make Olivet’s program better. 
One of the most valuable takeaways involved a challenge the Tigers have been facing with late-season injuries the last couple of seasons.
Mitchell considered whether he might adjust elements of the Tigers’ practice to maximize the players’ long-term health. While most programs have a walk-through practice the day before a game, Olivet instead holds a “Fast Friday” practice. In Pittsburgh, Mitchell discovered that this system was pioneered 14 years ago by McCarthy and Steelers Head Strength Coach Mark Lovat.
“I was able to talk to Mark for over two hours one evening, and he just poured into me and helped tweak some of the things we’ve done,” Mitchell said. “Since he shared some of the science behind what we were doing, I’ve made some changes to our practice flow and our recovery flow to keep our players healthier.”
Mitchell, a strong proponent of football analytics, also sat in on meetings with the Steelers’ game manager, a staff member focused exclusively on situational football such as clock management and timeouts, meetings he called “illuminating.”
Olivet is already one of the few small-college programs in the country working with an analytics company, and Mitchell has brought lessons in NFL analytics back to build on the Tigers’ foundation.
Mitchell said the professional habits he saw in Pittsburgh reflect what Olivet already works to instill in its players.
“We teach a professional approach to day-to-day actions,” he said. “Even in something like a cool-down stretching session, I can go through the motions, or I can choose to attack that moment.”
That approach includes the program’s “PRN” emphasis on prehab, rehab and nutrition, as well as mental preparation that helps players react quickly in games.
“These are low-tempo, low-physical output, but high mental responses,” Mitchell said. “They’re repetitive things that need to happen to play fast when it’s time to play fast.”
Continually Improving
This fellowship is just the latest in Mitchell’s quest to be a better coach. This spring he spent three days at the Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum and Quarterback Coaching Summit, where he spent significant time with other college and NFL coaches, along with NFL front office staff, for a time of professional development and networking.
“This was my second year participating in this amazing event,” said Mitchell. “In the General Manager Forum, you’re learning all sorts of things from NFL executives – how they set up draft boards, how they manage salary caps, details about the scouting process and player personnel situations.” 
“At the QB summit,” continued Mitchell, “you’re talking specific ball techniques, fundamentals and scheme, all from the greatest minds of the NFL. You’re getting a cramp in your hand from feverishly taking notes.”
To maximize the experience, the Ozzie Newsome GM Forum and QB Summit has a limited number of participants and a competitive application process. This allowed the time and opportunity for Mitchell to enjoy in-depth interactions with these professionals.
“It’s a small, intimate number,” Mitchell shared. “Probably 50-70 participants, and you’re eating meals and interacting in after-programming with these NFL leaders.”
Setting the Example for Olivet Tigers
Mitchell hopes to model habits of growth and improvement off the field for his players. 
“The players on this Tiger football team, they are preparing for a variety of careers after college and after football,” Mitchell shared. “As they graduate and pursue their callings, we hope we’ve helped them develop the habits of working hard and constantly seeking to improve. These are the things they can take with them as they become leaders in their fields, and Godly leaders in their families.”
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