Joe Mixon has been on a recruiting roller coaster this season. After a breakout year for Freedom as a junior, Mixon's performance at the U.S. Army All-American combine launched him into the national spotlight. Today, Joe Mixon announced his final four schools.
In a surprise move, Mixon named the Cal Bears to his list of top programs. Cal Berkeley was Mixon's first official visit and RB Coach Pierre Ingram has been recruiting Mixon for a very long time now.
In no particular order, Mixon named Cal, UCLA, Oklahoma and Wisconsin as his top four choices this morning.
Joe Mixon: 2014 RB Highlight Mixtape vs Foothill
With regards to Cal, Mixon says he's attacted to the Bears due to their "tradition" and the "opportunity" he'd have to make an early impact for the program.
UCLA landing in the top 4 was not much of a surprise. The fact that USC didn't make the cut, however, was surprising. Mixon announced on Twitter earlier in the week that the Trojans were still in the running, but that seems to have changed since USC has yet to reach out to the 5-star running back.
Yesterday Mixon had an in-home visit with UCLA Head Coach Jim Mora and several other members of the Bruins staff. Mixon also said that he likes the "tradition" of the Bruins program.
Joe Mixon: 2014 RB Highlight Mixtape vs Castro Valley
"I'd have a good shot at starting there. The visit was good. They (UCLA) were here for two and a half hours," Mixon told CLA today.
The other two schools on Mixon's list are Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
Both the Badgers and Sooners made the list because of a strong "running program," said Mixon.
Mixon also likes Oklahoma because his idol Adrian Peterson is an alumni.
Joe Mixon: Post Game Interview vs Foothill
At the moment, there are no clear front-runners for Mixon.
"Right now, it's pretty much even," he says.
Stay-tuned for more recruiting updates and breaking news from CLA Sports.
