Indiana University Athletics
From Fan to Player, Paige Has Come a Long Way
9/16/2015 1:58:00 PM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It was Nov. 17, 2007. Indiana and Purdue were tied 24-24 in front of a capacity crowd at Memorial Stadium.
With 30 seconds left, IU's Austin Starr went out for a 49-yard field goal. The Old Oaken Bucket and an Indiana bowl bid were on the line.
A 14-year old Mitchell Paige was there. A life-long Hoosier fan, Paige was sitting in the front row on the West side as Starr trotted out for the kick. His eyes light up as he recounts the ball sailing through the uprights and the moment he ran out onto the field with thousands of other Hoosier fans.
"It was crazy," Paige said. "One of those things you'll never forget."
WKU Preview: High-Powered Offenses Set to Collide
Paige had another one of those unforgettable moments last weekend. Making his second career start, the redshirt junior receiver hauled in his first touchdown on a 16-yard bubble screen with 10:02 left in the fourth quarter.
It proved to be the game-winner in IU's win over Florida International.
"It's an accomplishment, definitely," Paige said. "It's a great feeling, getting in the end zone. I kind of get it off my back. It sort of shows the work is paying off."
Paige's journey from the front row to starting slot receiver took sacrifice.
The 5-foot-7 Carmel, Ind., native walked on to the team in 2012 after a standout prep career at Guerin Catholic. He graduated high school with 2,006 receiving yards, 965 rushing yards, 1,794 returning yards and 37 touchdowns.
Despite his high school success, schools weren't showing interest. He had garnered attention from Butler, but Paige wasn't interested in a Butler education. He wanted to be a Hoosier regardless of whether or not he was an athlete.
Paige attended a few Indiana camps, slowly picking up interest from offensive coordinator Kevin Johns. Paige said he rarely spoke with head coach Kevin Wilson—maybe two or three words before actually joining the team—but Johns told Paige to consider walking on if he wanted a chance to play.
"Coach Johns told me about it a bit and kept the option open if I ever wanted to try," Paige said. "Eventually, I just decided to come."
Paige put in his time working mostly behind the scenes in his first three seasons. He showed up, went to work and didn't worry about playing time, he said.
All the work paid off. When sophomore receiver J-Shun Harris was lost for the year and Indiana needed a new starting slot receiver, the coaching staff turned to Paige.
"Mitchell is so smart and understands the offense so well," Johns said. "He understands space, and as an inside receiver, that's really what you need. More importantly, I feel like he has (senior quarterback) Nate Sudfeld's trust."
Working in space has become Paige's specialty of sorts. He prides himself in being able to see gaps in opposing defenses before they form, giving him just enough time to get open.
Redshirt junior receiver Ricky Jones described it as a sixth sense. Paige said it's an ability he developed playing other sports. In high school, he lettered in basketball, track and field and golf in addition to football.
"I can kind of read where people are going," Paige said. "I can feel spaces. I can see and read things. Other sports really helped. Out here, I'm always looking at guys and feeling where they're going to be."
Paige still plays golf, too. He's a scratch player. But even Indiana's golfers tower over Paige, who said he picked up tips from former Hoosier receiver Shane Wynn about compensating for a lack of size.
"When you look at him, he doesn't look like a Big Ten, 6-foot-4 receiver," Johns said. "But when he steps on the football field, he's one of those wiggle guys that can just get down the field and catches everything you throw to him."
Paige said he doesn't have expectations. He earned a scholarship last spring and again in the fall, but he said he still embraces a walk-on's mentality.
That's never going away, Paige said. It's what earned him the scholarship in the first place.
"I wanted to come in and make an impact," Paige said. "I was under-recruited, but I had a ton of confidence. I knew I could play…I wanted to kind of set an example for the future guys to see how we work, our standard."
Paige proved himself in week two against Florida International. He said he expects to be involved even more against a high-powered Western Kentucky team Saturday at 4 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
Paige—who didn't have a catch until this season—has six catches for 63 yards and a score through two games.
One touchdown. That's an affirmative accomplishment for a walk-on, Paige said. Not everyone who walks on even sees the field.
It's nice—but he isn't stopping there.
"I definitely haven't made it," Paige said. "There's more to come."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It was Nov. 17, 2007. Indiana and Purdue were tied 24-24 in front of a capacity crowd at Memorial Stadium.
With 30 seconds left, IU's Austin Starr went out for a 49-yard field goal. The Old Oaken Bucket and an Indiana bowl bid were on the line.
A 14-year old Mitchell Paige was there. A life-long Hoosier fan, Paige was sitting in the front row on the West side as Starr trotted out for the kick. His eyes light up as he recounts the ball sailing through the uprights and the moment he ran out onto the field with thousands of other Hoosier fans.
"It was crazy," Paige said. "One of those things you'll never forget."
WKU Preview: High-Powered Offenses Set to Collide
Paige had another one of those unforgettable moments last weekend. Making his second career start, the redshirt junior receiver hauled in his first touchdown on a 16-yard bubble screen with 10:02 left in the fourth quarter.
It proved to be the game-winner in IU's win over Florida International.
"It's an accomplishment, definitely," Paige said. "It's a great feeling, getting in the end zone. I kind of get it off my back. It sort of shows the work is paying off."
Paige's journey from the front row to starting slot receiver took sacrifice.
The 5-foot-7 Carmel, Ind., native walked on to the team in 2012 after a standout prep career at Guerin Catholic. He graduated high school with 2,006 receiving yards, 965 rushing yards, 1,794 returning yards and 37 touchdowns.
Despite his high school success, schools weren't showing interest. He had garnered attention from Butler, but Paige wasn't interested in a Butler education. He wanted to be a Hoosier regardless of whether or not he was an athlete.
Paige attended a few Indiana camps, slowly picking up interest from offensive coordinator Kevin Johns. Paige said he rarely spoke with head coach Kevin Wilson—maybe two or three words before actually joining the team—but Johns told Paige to consider walking on if he wanted a chance to play.
"Coach Johns told me about it a bit and kept the option open if I ever wanted to try," Paige said. "Eventually, I just decided to come."
Paige put in his time working mostly behind the scenes in his first three seasons. He showed up, went to work and didn't worry about playing time, he said.
All the work paid off. When sophomore receiver J-Shun Harris was lost for the year and Indiana needed a new starting slot receiver, the coaching staff turned to Paige.
"Mitchell is so smart and understands the offense so well," Johns said. "He understands space, and as an inside receiver, that's really what you need. More importantly, I feel like he has (senior quarterback) Nate Sudfeld's trust."
Working in space has become Paige's specialty of sorts. He prides himself in being able to see gaps in opposing defenses before they form, giving him just enough time to get open.
Redshirt junior receiver Ricky Jones described it as a sixth sense. Paige said it's an ability he developed playing other sports. In high school, he lettered in basketball, track and field and golf in addition to football.
"I can kind of read where people are going," Paige said. "I can feel spaces. I can see and read things. Other sports really helped. Out here, I'm always looking at guys and feeling where they're going to be."
Paige still plays golf, too. He's a scratch player. But even Indiana's golfers tower over Paige, who said he picked up tips from former Hoosier receiver Shane Wynn about compensating for a lack of size.
"When you look at him, he doesn't look like a Big Ten, 6-foot-4 receiver," Johns said. "But when he steps on the football field, he's one of those wiggle guys that can just get down the field and catches everything you throw to him."
Paige said he doesn't have expectations. He earned a scholarship last spring and again in the fall, but he said he still embraces a walk-on's mentality.
That's never going away, Paige said. It's what earned him the scholarship in the first place.
"I wanted to come in and make an impact," Paige said. "I was under-recruited, but I had a ton of confidence. I knew I could play…I wanted to kind of set an example for the future guys to see how we work, our standard."
Paige proved himself in week two against Florida International. He said he expects to be involved even more against a high-powered Western Kentucky team Saturday at 4 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
Paige—who didn't have a catch until this season—has six catches for 63 yards and a score through two games.
One touchdown. That's an affirmative accomplishment for a walk-on, Paige said. Not everyone who walks on even sees the field.
It's nice—but he isn't stopping there.
"I definitely haven't made it," Paige said. "There's more to come."
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