Notre Dame Answered Questions For 2020 DL Rylie Mills
2020 Lake Forest (Ill.) defensive lineman Rylie Mills was one of the headliners on Notre Dame’s loaded official visitor list.
For the four-star prospect, this visit was about more than just seeing the campus and practice. Mills wanted to get a few questions answered and Notre Dame hit a home run.
“It definitely answered a lot of my questions,” Mills told Irish Sports Daily. “The biggest thing I wanted to find out was what it was like being a teammate, being at school around the guys and just the in’s and out’s of the team. Doing this official visit answered a lot of the questions.
“I learned a lot about the guys there and they seem like a really good group.”
Spending time around the team was a significant part of what Mills wanted to experience as he’s been around a close-knit team at the college level before.
“My brother plays at Dayton and I visited him a couple of times,” stated Mills. “That’s what I see when I’m there. He has a great relationship with the guys and I feel like I saw that at Notre Dame.”
Mills was able to spend time with numerous players from both sides of the ball over the weekend and each player made a positive impression on the 6-foot-5, 275-pounder.
“Hunter Spears was my host, so I was with him a lot,” said Mills. “I also got to hang out with Kurt (Hinish). He’s so funny and I liked him a lot. Braiden McGregor and I got to hang out a lot and that was cool. We got to hang out with Liam (Eichenberg) and some of his friends. It was cool being around those guys.”
The official visitors spent Saturday night at Brian Kelly’s lake house and it offered a chance to spend time one-on-one, but also to see a lighter side of the Notre Dame head coach.
“It was cool and it means a lot he would have us out to his lake house,” explained Mills. “We got to see a part of his life and being allowed to go there was cool. He came over and talked to my parents and me. He was super friendly and it was nice of him to do that. I really liked it.”
Defensive line coach Mike Elston spent plenty of time around McGregor and Mills this weekend, but maybe the most impressive thing for the Lake Forest star was seeing the same guy he first saw at a summer camp.
“I worked with him at a camp two years ago,” Mills said. “It was cool because he was the same guy. I like the way he coaches. He knows when to be cool with the guys, but also when to be serious. There’s a good balance between that and everyone on the team really respects him.”
2020 Notre Dame defensive line commit Aidan Keanaaina admitted he wanted to be attached to the hip of McGregor and Mills this weekend and it was a positive move.
“I liked Aidan a lot,” stated Mills. “He didn’t push anything on us. It was more about getting to know us. I think Aidan is a really good dude and I liked being around him the whole weekend. His message was about his decision because Notre Dame was the best thing for him.
“He said he supported us wherever we go, but let us know we could do big things if we came to Notre Dame.”
The three defensive linemen had spoken before the visit, but the chance to hang out for a weekend could end up being a significant move for Notre Dame.
“The whole recruiting trip we were all together,” explained Mills. “It was cool to be with them. We all have a good relationship. Braiden and I got to hang out one of the nights. I liked Braiden a lot and I think it was nice to have that relationship.
“Not a lot of schools will pair you up with other recruits and introduce you. It was cool for Notre Dame to put us all together. We ended up being a good group.”
Mills will now head to Ohio State and Wisconsin for official visits before taking some time off in May. He could take two more official visits, but he could also have a decision in June if it feels right.
“I’m going to take a couple more visits and after that, I’ll have all the information I really need,” said Mills. “The biggest thing I wanted to know was more about the team and that’s a big part of the official visits. I’ve seen most of the places I’m going to, so it’s about the team and kids I’ll be playing with.
“After my visits, I’ll have a good idea of what I like and what the best option is for me.”