There was no rational reason for him to have been thinking about the college portal at that time.
Both sides can be true. Yes, he should have entered his name as a preemptive measure. Abeerden did; Trimble did, etc. But also, the timing of when one enters the transfer portal went away once the courts granted him elgibility. The stating of a player "must enter the transfer portal during the sport's normal time frame" should be disregarded after a player receives eligibility and has the portal re-opened for them.
I truly don't see how the rule holds up in court. I do believe either a) Sankey gives in or b) the court rules in Mitchell's favor because some arbitrary rule is being used outside of the scope of it's creation.
Looking at the media and rival fans, it's comical to see the "objective" stance because none want Mitchell to play at Kentucky. Other fans comments on this forum are proving the point that Kentucky + Mitchell is only a problem because it will make Kentucky a contender.
Well guess what, the college basketball world is about to find out that you don't mess with Kentucky and basketball. Pope and Batt should and will go scorched earth to make sure Mitchell can play.