It took a detour to a small college in Minnesota, but University of Hawaii cornerback Billy Mitchell III is where he feels he should be.

Mitchell walked on to the UH football roster this spring, nearly two seasons after he left Division III Minnesota Morris.

“I’m just taking it day by day and trying to become better,” Mitchell said. “There are great athletes here, and making that transition from Division III to Division I is completely different. You got some fast guys, big guys, and all types of dudes that are athletically blessed.”

Coming out of high school, Mitchell had very limited options to play college football. Of Navajo descent, Mitchell grew up on the reservation in Kayenta, Ariz., a place with “very little hope when it comes to success in sports and academics.”

“I always had that drive to push beyond my limits,” he said.

Mitchell opted to try to walk on at Arizona State, but missed some paperwork and was unable to do so. He contacted community colleges but couldn’t find one with an open roster spot. In the end, he sat out the year from football before he got a call from his high school coach.

“My head coach from high school was like, ‘Hey Billy, do you want to play football?’” Mitchell recalled. “‘You’re gonna go to Minnesota. Minnesota Morris is a Division III school, and they’re going to give you an opportunity to play ball.’”

At Minnesota Morris, Mitchell played four games but was sidelined with an injury. Time on the field as well as the below-freezing temperatures led Mitchell to try to find someplace else to play.

“I wasn’t really a big fan of it,” Mitchell said about the Midwest’s weather. “But I’m a big fan of expanding my perspectives, different environments or atmospheres.”

In Minnesota, Mitchell saw a UH decal in the rear window of a car. He had a friend who wore a UH t-shirt, and then he talked to a girl at a party who used to live in Hawaii.

“I’m a very firm believer of God, and I just kept seeing signs of Hawaii up in Minnesota,” Mitchell said. “How are you going to get signs about Hawaii in the Midwest? That’s pretty crazy.”

Mitchell submitted his application and was admitted to UH, but there was still the matter of making the team. Tryouts were not held in 2020 and 2021, which meant Mitchell was unable to walk on.

“It was heartbreaking at that point,” he said. “I said, ‘Hey, I’m still on this beautiful island. I’m going to keep believing.’”

UH held tryouts this past spring and Mitchell attended. Ten days after the tryouts, he was in the gym checking his email in between workouts when he read that he made the team.

“I was so excited and walking around really ecstatic,” Mitchell said. “After that, I’ve just been grinding.”

Mitchell played in the spring game and made the fall camp 110-man roster. Cornerbacks coach Abe Elimimian credited Mitchell for his play during April’s spring game and for helping with depth issues at cornerback.

“He really showed his skill set and he’s become a valuable member of our team,” Elimimian said. “He’s been able to come in there, fill that void, and actually get better.”

Listed at 5 feet 9 and 170 pounds, Mitchell acknowledges that he’s not the most talented or physically gifted cornerback but that he’s going to make sure he works hard.

“I’m not the best when it comes to fundamentals and technique. I’m not even the fastest,” Mitchell said. “I can lift a decent amount, but I know I can do a lot better within this program.”

“It’s just been great having him around. He’s great to be around and a really excellent teammate,” Elimimian said. “He’s gotten really better and we’re pleased with the progress Billy has made.”