Most of us are ready for the season to start and ready for all the Mixon news to be replaced by news of TDs, sacks, INTs and wins. But since it’s been such a hot topic and I’ve had an inside connection to the whole thing I figured it would be a good topic to start with. I wanted to offer you a few notes:
– Was Mixon really homesick early in the summer? Yes. Very much so. He had a horrible case of homesickness when he first arrived. He actually wanted to go home but Mixon’s father, John, offered him some tough love. He told Joe that he wasn’t about to walk away from his word.
– By the time Joe’s birthday rolled around, he was starting to enjoy his time in Norman. Then, of course, the incident happened.
– Did Joe want to leave after that incident? Yes. Once again, though, it was John to the rescue. He made multiple trips to Norman in order to help his son through the issues. I was told that he essentially told his son, ‘you’re not running from this…you’re owning up to it…you dug yourself a hole and now you’re going to dig your way out.’
– It’s been an up and down summer for Mixon but he’s finally settling in and, thanks to John Mixon, OU fans are going to get to see Joe play. And Joe is, from what I’ve been told, liking Norman.
30 Comments
good write up Drake thanks for sharing
Thank you. I am glad to be apart of this, thanks to K.
Thanks for the insight Drake and thank God for good parents.
Thanks, Sooner Ray. His dad really is the one who has pushed him his whole life. Glad to see there is parents out there teaching kids to fight through adversity still.
Heard similar info. Heard there was a lot of concern early in the summer that he’d jet but a few weeks later everything thing seemed great.
The homesickness only concerned me slightly because I’ve heard that nearly all freshmen, especially from several states away, go through a rough period.
I hear you Ray. It concerned me a little more though because like Drake, I heard that it was pretty significant. But I also heard that Perine was so impressive and with the two older guys I also thought maybe Mixon would find the depth a cause for concern. To his credit though, he stuck it out and hopefully it’ll be best for all parties.
I think he had a really rough 4th of July weekend. It seems most everybody else was home, including his partner M Quick, and Joe was very lonely that weekend. I’m surprised some of these guys don’t make more effort to invite an out of state kid to hang out with them over long weekends when they are able to just drive back home because of proximity. I guess I’d be likely to do that, but that’s kind of my nature, especially if I see somebody struggling a bit.
I’ve heard many stories of local boys taking out of state players to their home for holidays and school breaks when they couldn’t make it home themselves, not sure why it took Joe’s loneliness going public for everyone to gather at his side.
Appreciate the insight great job. You can tell this is an isolated incident based on how his history is and the fact he’s got a dad who will give him tough love. I’m glad joe actually listened.
yep, heard completely out of character.
Go read anything about him on Rivals, Scouts, etc. He may be a bit of a “loud personality”, but by every single account I’ve read, he’s a good kid. Just a bad spot where he reacted, rather than think first.
Stuff like this sometimes just stokes the competitive fires. It’s gonna be hard for Joe to sit and watch all year. Next year if he channels all of that emotion look out!
This. Between him and DGB, two immensely talented players that were on their way to seeing the field plenty this year, having to sit out this season, imagine their hunger being built over the course of a year. Those are the kind of players that use every opportunity like it’s their last.
The lesson his Father is teaching him will help Joe through much more than just football.
Exactly.
And this is how every parent should be. I intend to raise my son the same way. You join football, you play it out, even if you’re not the star or even starting. You don’t bail on people and your commitments. If your word is worth nothing, what does that say about you as a person? I’m sure my son will probably be very unhappy with me at times, but there’s right and wrong and those lessons carry on for life. I know I really disliked my dad at times, but looking back, I had a pretty good teacher in a lot of ways.
Tough lessons last a lifetime.
Thanks for sharing. And thanks much to TFB for a forum for just such as this.
Glad to share what we hear on here.
Good stuff Drake!! Thank you for the insight and thank the good lord for Joe having strong parental support and guidance!! He will be a game changer when he finally hits the field!!
This is gonna sound weird, but you can see what people favorite on twitter and Joe has been favoriting a ton of encouraging messages from OU fans about him staying and having a big return. I think it’s safe to say he knows he has support.
yeah he’s solid to OU now it would seem.
This will be an essential part of the growing up process and I predict this young man will have similar results to what Ryan Broyles had.
Thanks The Drake – helpful insight and glad Joe is getting what he needs from dad and school in what must be a difficult time…
Am not going to claim to know someones character based on a video but you got a sense of how close Joe is to his dad in the AmFam video last year. Really good that he has a good support system
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW-mpMLt0so
Good find!
No prob! Do what I can to support my Sooners.
Good job Mr. Mixon. A man’s word has to mean something.
This is a perfect example of why fathers and positive role models are so very important to the youth of this country. Let’s say Joe didn’t have a dad to stand by him and deliver this “tough love.” Forget the fact that we would’ve missed the chance to see Mix in Sooner gear, this young man would have taken the easy way out (ez for me to say) but instead chose a path that I believe will benefit him in the long run. Perseverance is easy to talk about but so very hard to practice. While I do not condone Joe’s actions that fateful night I am glad to see that he is stepping up and accepting the repercussions that stemmed from it. Let’s all hope for Joe’s sake that he will grow from this and become a better man for it. If he can he will be better off both on the field and off. Do your thing Prime Time.