Notre Dame DL Rylie Mills Returning For 2024 Season

Notre Dame got a big boost last week when Howard Cross III announced he would return to school for the 2024 season. 

On Thursday, Rylie Mills announced he would be returning to Notre Dame for his fifth season and it gives Notre Dame one of the best interior lines in the country. 

The 6-foot-5, 306-pounder had his best season in 2023 as he totaled 45 stops, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The Lake Forest (Ill.) native recorded a career-high eight tackles against Clemson in November.  

For his career, Mills has played in 47 games (22 starts) and tallied 92 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. 

Defensive coordinator Al Golden saw Mills take the next step in his game following the Duke and Louisville games in the fall. 

“I think he's truly playing with leverage and extending,” said Golden. “Then his block destruction has been really improved the last couple of weeks. So, even if there's a blocker in front of him, he's able to play his gap — we call it gap and a half. He's able to play his gap, and then if you're in control of the block, then obviously you can make a play in an adjacent gap.

“I think he's been doing a lot of that and doing it well, the last couple of weeks. I'm excited about his progress. His last two games have been his best two games, so that's great for him.”  

Notre Dame also got better this week as Duke grad transfer RJ Oben announced he would play his final year of football in South Bend. 

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish 55'' x 31'' Team TV Cover