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Notre Dame Football Recruiting

Top 2020 DE Rylie Mills Looking Forward To September 1st

August 2, 2018
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It’s not a secret 2020 Lake Forest (Ill.) defensive end Rylie Mills‍ is a coveted prospect by Notre Dame and the rest of the country as we head into August. 

The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder has communicated a lot of quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees as the former Notre Dame quarterback is an alum of Lake Forest, but defensive line coach Mike Elston has made quite the impression. 

"Notre Dame was one of the schools I first camped with last summer, and they've definitely been a school that came in early in my recruitment,” stated Mills. “I’ve been there a couple of times, and I've become familiar with the coaching staff. I like Coach Elston. 

“I think he's a really good guy to talk to and I liked his coaching style at the camp. So, I feel like he would make me a good player. I like his coaching style, and I feel like we have a good relationship.”

The four-star prospect will be back in South Bend for the season opener against Michigan. There has been much hype around the game nationally, but as a Midwest prospect, the game has the full attention of Mills. 

"It's going to be a big game,” said Mills. “It's definitely going to be one of the most talked about games for the first week. I think it will also be interesting to see how Coach Elston is going to talk to his defensive line and see how he's interacting with his players in tough situations. 

“That will be something I'm watching out for. I think also another big thing will be seeing how both teams compete and seeing when it really gets down to it, who wants it more and how hard they're going to compete. It's definitely going to be something I want to watch out for.”

Notre Dame, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin have offered Mills, and he’s done an excellent job of getting out on the road to visit most of the programs that have offered. 

Mills will now look to narrow things down to a top group. 

"I'd say I've done a good job,” Mills said of visiting schools. My family and I have gone around and visited a lot of schools this offseason, so it's been really helpful just getting a first initial opinion and getting on campus and seeing a lot of schools. I think right now I'm in the process of taking what I've learned from each school, and I'm starting to narrow it down. I don't have anything officially yet, so hopefully, during my junior season or after my junior season, I'll probably narrow it to a top 10 or 5.”

As for a decision, Mills is still in the air but remains firm in making sure he takes his time to make the right choice. 

“My family talked about possibly before my senior season, or maybe on the signing day,” said Mills. “But I think that's dependent on how I feel towards the school. If I'm feeling strong that so and so is where I want to go, then I think I'll probably commit earlier. If I still need time to decide and have a couple of schools I want to take closer looks at, it might take me a little bit longer to make that final choice."

 
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