And if those improvements bear out, it could boost the Cougar’s offensive production considerably.

Indeed Mitchell has undergone a rapid learning curve since the midway point of last season, all of which has prepared him well for resuming his role as the team’s starting center this year.

It all began just days prior to BYU’s 41-19 win over Arizona last season when Mitchell received the news from his teammates that he was slated to start at center. The information could have been a load for any converted defensive lineman who only recently switched over to play a couple of games at offensive guard, although Mitchell just put his head down and went to work.

“We had a bye week before the game, and I just remember showing up to the facility and guys telling me, ‘Hey, you’re starting at center,'” Mitchell recalled. “I mean, I’d taken some reps at center in practice, but not a lot, and so I just tried to learn as fast as I could to get ready, and fortunately I had really good help around me.”

Central to that help was the guy he was replacing at center, Connor Pay. As a team captain, as someone who fully embraced the leadership role thrust upon him, Pay proved to be a big asset in helping coach Mitchell up, along with Offensive line Coach TJ Woods and a group of relatively experienced offensive linemen around him.

“I’m just grateful to Coach Woods to have that confidence and belief in me,” Mitchell said. “Those four games I started were great, and I was very fortunate to have so many veteran teammates and coaches to help me every step of the way. It was a lot of fun and fortunately we got it done.”

BYU won all four games the 6-foot-4, 305 lineman from Kamas started, beginning with the aforementioned win against Arizona and concluding with the 22-21 nailbiter over Utah.

Fast forward to Mitchell’s current status, on the heels of completing and entire spring practice session, working out for the whole of the offseason and then fully participating in fall camp at the center spot, and marked improvements are somewhat easy to predict.

“He’s much more comfortable. He’s much more refined with his technique,” Woods said. “Last year he was drinking through a fire hose and doing whatever he could to survive out there. I mean, that’s actually a positive in some ways because you’re not thinking a lot and just playing aggressive. But this year you’re going to see him make some good strides, I feel, and he’s done a really good job with everything we’ve asked of him.”

Mitchell largely agrees with Woods’ assessment.

“I watch film of me last year and it’s super raw. I’m just flying off the snap and just trying to block whoever was in front of me,” Mitchell said. “So now I just know the offense better, where guys are supposed to go and my technique has improved a lot. I feel like it’s going to pay off, but I guess we’ll learn just how much I’ve improved in a few weeks when the season begins. I’m excited for it. Hopefully I can help my teammates a bit more this year where last year it was all about them helping me.”

As far as what’s aided Mitchell in making a remarkably smooth transition, his athleticism as a dual-sport athlete who played basketball in high school, is an obvious factor, but it’s perhaps his mindset and work ethic that has contributed most.

“Bruce is probably the most consistent guy we have,” Woods said. “He acts medium all the time, he’s never too high and never too low, and I think he just has a really good frame of mind to handle the ups and downs of the position. You’re going to get beat as an offensive lineman, so having the mindset he has is a big thing for any of our guys to have have. That’s definitely one of his biggest strengths.”

Notable companionships

Mitchell served his two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Seattle and ended his service as companions with BYU basketball star Richie Saunders.

“Richie was kind of that guy in the mission I think everyone wanted to be companions with,” Mitchell said. “So it so awesome and he was a phenomenal companion in every way. It was a great final 12 weeks of the mission with him and we worked so hard out there. We did a lot of laughing and I couldn’t be more happy for him, seeing all the success he’s had. He’s just a grinder out there, and that’s exactly what he was like as a missionary.”

Perhaps the only time Mitchell and Saunders showed a little bit of angst was when competing against one another on the hardwood.

“We never got mad at each other, or anything like that, but it would definitely get competitive between us,” Mitchell said with a chuckle. “We’d wake up a bit early so we could go play basketball at the church, and sometimes a basketball would get thrown across the gym, or something like that. I’ll just say that, but overall I loved every moment I had to serve with Richie.”

Not soon after his mission Mitchell found another companion, former BYU long distance runner Sadie Sargent, whom he married just one year after returning home from Seattle.

“BYU was able to introduce me to my wife, and it’s just been a dream being here and being able to experience everything I have,” Mitchell said. “I was a BYU fan growing up and being here at the school and playing for the team as turned out even better than I could have imagined. I’m a BYU guy through-and-through.”