2020 DE Rylie Mills Ready For Notre Dame Return

Notre Dame is amongst one of the best universities in the country academically and athletically and this has caught Rylie Mills’ attention. The 2020 Illinois defensive end will be in South Bend this weekend for Junior Day.

After receiving an offer from the Irish on National Signing Day for the Class of 2018, getting an invited to Junior Day left the Lake Forest standout excited and also gave him confidence moving forward.

“I am grateful and humbled by everything that has happened,” he expressed with excitement. “They’re a great school and to even have an offer from them is a blessing. It is a great feeling going into this Junior Day knowing that they are interested in me and they see me in their program which really gives me confidence for the next couple of years.

“Notre Dame is a unique school. They have great academics and high-level football and it gets me interested because it is a school where I can get a degree and help me for four years of my life, but also the four years I will be playing there will be a fun time, getting to meet new people as well as playing at the highest level.”

Since receiving his offer from the Irish, Mills has kept in contact with the Notre Dame coaching staff.

“I have been in contact with Tommy Rees and Coach (Mike) Elston,” explained the sophomore standout.  “I talked to Coach Elston a couple weeks ago. I let him know that I was excited to come up to Notre Dame this weekend and that I am excited to learn more about the program. I know Coach Rees is going to be stopping at my school this week too.”

Mills knows how prestigious Notre Dame is when it comes to both its academics and athletics, but he is interested in learning more about how he would fit at the school both on and off the field. He took an unofficial visit to South Bend last fall and will look to fill the gaps he doesn’t know firsthand this time.

“I don’t know as much as I want, but I know I will officially learn about it this weekend,” Mills explained. “I do know they are one of the highest schools in the country that can compete at the highest level and that they compare to schools like Northwestern and Stanford academically, so they are amongst one of the best. They also sell out every home game; it has been awhile since they haven’t sold out a home game.

“I am interested in learning more about how they see me fitting into the school, whether they see me more as a defensive tackle or a defensive end. I will be interested in seeing if they see me more playing all across the line. Also, I am interested in learning more about how they manage their day, football along with classes.”

Mills has gained a lot of FBS attention as of late and is up to seven offers. In addition to the offer from Notre Dame, he also holds offers from Minnesota, Northwestern, Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee and most recently Vanderbilt.

Schools are recruiting Mills as a hybrid defensive lineman who can play both inside and out. It’s clear interest has buzzed around the sophomore standout who already has a Division-I lineman build with room to get better. But, it is his work ethic in the offseason to improve that is showing in his play.

“They like my size, I am 6-foot-5, 267, so as a sophomore they think I am on a really good track since I can also move,” he said. “They like my ability to bat down passes, they like my eye for the ball and how I have a feel for that. They also like how I play through my gaps and just play the ball.”

Mills wants to be well-rounded and is working on every aspect of his game.

“My overall athleticism is a big part of it,” he said. “I have been training at EFT, it has really helped me. We continue to work on o-Line techniques for d-Line, shaping up flipping my hips and getting off the ball, and working different pass rush moves.

“I am also working out there and getting a real feel for getting good athleticism and getting more explosive. I am also working out at this place called Dipped and they are really helping me with my 40 time and my speed specifically. I am also trying to get stronger and get more muscle on me.”

After Notre Dame on Saturday, Mills will be headed to Iowa on Sunday and Northwestern next weekend. During his upcoming unofficial visits and beyond, he will keep the most important factors in mind.

“How well are there academics and also are they able to compete at the highest level. So, that is a big part for me being able to have a good academic career as well as an athletic career. Also, I want a college that can help me after college, getting a job.”