2020 DE Rylie Mills Wakes Up To Notre Dame Offer

Wednesday was a special day for members of the 2018 recruiting class, but it turned out to be a pretty special day for one member of the 2020 recruiting class as well.

And for Rylie Mills‍, it was special right from the start.

“My parents woke me up and said, ‘Rylie, you’ve got an offer from Notre Dame,’” the 2020 Illinois defensive end said. “It was a huge shock to wake up to.”

Mills came into the day with one offer, from Minnesota, but finished with four.

“It was kind of a crazy day,” he laughed. “I received offers from Illinois and Northwestern also.”

The Lake Forest standout is clearly somebody for recruiters and fans to keep an eye on for years to come.

“The coaches have told me they love my size,” said Mills. “I’m 6-5, 265 right now as a sophomore. They’re looking at me as somebody who is already big enough to play in college. They’re just hoping I’m going to get bigger and bigger and hopefully better with the skills if I keep working these next couple of years.”

After hearing the news of his Notre Dame offer from his parents, Mills had a chance to speak with Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston.

“We’ve had a relationship since last summer’s camp,” explained Mills. “I went out to two games over the season and kind of got a chance to build a relationship with Coach Elston and talk to him about his plans for the d-line. We’ve had that relationship for a while, so it was great to hear it came from him.”

The Notre Dame offer is clearly one Mills is excited about.

“it’s one of the top schools in the country academically and for football,” he said. “It makes you feel happy that a school wants you. Once football is over, if you graduate from a school known for academics, it’ll make it easier to find a job and also play a high level of football, which is the ultimate thing.”

He plans on remaining in contact with the staff and returning to South Bend soon.

“I’m going to definitely keep in touch with Coach Elston,” Mills said. “I’m going to go down for a spring practice in March or April. Hopefully I’ll be down for a couple games next season.”

Football will just be one aspect of Mills’ ultimate decision.

“I think it’s going to be the school that’s going to help me academically. I want a school I can talk to other people about, build good relationships, get good job opportunities when football is over. I’m also looking for a school where the coaching is pretty stable. I know a lot of schools are going through big coaching changes. I’m hoping for a school that has really locked down its coaching staff, so the people I’m talking to now will be the people I’m playing for when I eventually make my choice.”