Former Tennessee Vol plays lights out in Mexico’s Super Bowl, makes a clutch stop in crunch time
Former Tennessee Vols linebacker arrived as a late-season reinforcement for a pro football team in Mexico. And he delivered in the playoffs.
In case you didn’t now, Mexico has a growing professional football league that is attracting more and more former Division 1 players from the United States. And on Sunday, a former Tennessee Vol happened to be right in the middle of the LFA’s version of the Super Bowl, the Tazón México.
And he came in clutch.
Former Vols linebacker Juwan Mitchell balls out
Juwan Mitchell, who played 13 games for the Vols between 2021 and 2022, joined the Chihuahua Caudillos as a late-season free agent to boost the linebacker room. It was one of the few additions the two-time champs made in the 2026 season.
Mitchel debuted in the semifinal, helping the Caudillos advance to the Tazón Mexico IX (Mexico Bowl).
Fast forward one week and, on Sunday night, the Caudillos and Mitchell were crowned LFA champions. And the former Vol played a major part.
Mitchell, who also played for the Texas Longhorns and Colorado Buffaloes, recorded one pass deflection and one interception. The latter closed out the half and kept the opponent Monterrey Osos from scoring a last-second field goal.
Mitchell’s best play of the night
Though it shows up on the stat as a simple tackle, Mitchell’s best play came in crunch time. With the Osos facing a fourth and two inside the Caudillos’ ten-yard line, they offense decided to go for it. Down 24-10 and with under three minutes to go on game, it was the right call.
However, the play call was an inside run going nowhere. Why? Mitchell did a great job plugging the B-gap. You can watch the play below. At that point, all the Caudillos offense had to do was run out the clock.
Will Mitchell return to the LFA?
It’s unclear if Mitchell will return to the Caudillos in 2027, but he made a strong impression in just two games played.
The Caudillos were quarterbacked by former SEC quarterback Jeremy Johnson (Auburn). With a 24-10 win on Sunday, they became the LFA’s first dynasty, winning three championships in four years.