Under-the-radar Panthers TE has a nickname, a story and a thought on Bryce Young
Read up on James Mitchell, and one of the first things you’ll find is that he has a nickname.
A fun one, at that.
“The Governor.”
Ask him about it, and he’ll chuckle.
“I knew that question was going to come,” Mitchell said.
The story behind the nickname is pretty simple. An assistant coach came up with it before a film session during Mitchell’s senior year at Virginia Tech. The coach had just gotten out of a meeting where he declared the following to the entire offensive staff: After football, Mitchell will run for governor — and “I’m going to run all your campaigns,” the coach said.
“So then the whole offensive staff started calling me ‘Gov,’ and I was like ‘Ah, whatever,’” Mitchell said, smiling and rolling his eyes. But it stuck. And it followed him through his final season at Virginia Tech through today, where the 25-year-old is in Carolina, heading into his fourth training camp in the NFL.
This is one mere snippet Mitchell shared with Mike Kaye and Alex Zietlow on the latest podcast episode of Processing Blue. In the interview, he discussed more about his nickname, more about his football story ... and also a lot about quarterback Bryce Young.
Two other excerpts:
Mitchell on the youth among the tight end group: “It was kind of like that in Detroit as well. We weren’t very old. A lot of guys were young. I think that just allows all of us to learn from each other and to pick each other’s brains. There are no egos in the room. Everybody’s open and willing to learn and try new things that maybe works for another guy. And so me, playing at a different place for the past three years, there are things that I’ve seen that maybe I could help them with. So they know that. So I think that’s pretty cool.”
Mitchell on Young: “First of all, he’s very calm. No matter a good play, bad play, he’s level-headed. He’s never going to get too high or too down on himself. And he’s a great leader. ... And he’s got a heck of an arm. I obviously haven’t spent a lot of time with him. But I have sat back and watched him, and I got a few shots in there with the 1s in the spring and caught some balls from him, and he makes great throws, great plays, he can get out of the pocket. So I’m just excited to hopefully grow that connection with him, and see him work, and continue to build off of what he did last year.”
For the discussion in full, check out the episode on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch the full show on YouTube.
Kaye and Zietlow also discuss the shocking news of Josey Jewell’s departure from the team — and the money and roster implications behind that decision. And you know it wouldn’t be a podcast if the two don’t talk independently about Young, the Panthers’ third-year quarterback who has a massive year ahead of him.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
