ESPN recently picked a “sleeper” player from every team in their pre-season top-25. When it came to Notre Dame, their #5 team in their post-spring rankings, they tabbed defensive tackle Rylie Mills as one of their “Sleepers” for the 2024 season.
Notre Dame’s defense has star power, with reigning Bronko Nagurski Award winner and unanimous All-American Xavier Watts, second-team All-American Howard Cross, and cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who did not garner All-American honors a year ago but just could be the best cornerback in college football.
Mills enters his third season as a full-time starter for the Irish this year after bouncing around a bit from defensive end and defensive tackle early in his career. He settled in at tackle last year and was steady. Here’s what ESPN is looking for from Mills.
The defensive front for the Irish includes a genuine star in Howard Cross and a big-name transfer in R.J. Oben, but that shouldn’t mean Mills, a fifth-year senior, gets overlooked. He has played the past four seasons for Notre Dame, racking up 16.5 career tackles for loss. But his impact isn’t always obvious on the stat sheet.
When he was on the field in 2023, Irish opponents mustered a woeful 4.9 yards per attempt. When the Irish didn’t blitz, opponents averaged over two fewer yards per pass with Mills on the field than when he was absent. — David Hale
ESPN
Mills had 47 tackles (22 solo, 25 assists) with 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He did generate some good pressure throughout the season though, despite the low disruptive play totals. PFF credited Mills with 32 total pressures on the season. That was good enough for third on the team behind Cross (39) and Javonate Jean-Baptiste (38). Overall, Mills ranked 8th overall on the Irish defense with a PFF grade of 80.6 on the season.
Getting a big leap from Mills in his 5th season (which was only available to him because of the free COVID year) would be massive for a Notre Dame defense that figures to be one of the best in the country regardless of Mills making a big leap. Should Mills make that leap and play up to his measurables, this defense could be special for the Irish. Ever since playing nine games as a freshman in 2020, Mills has flashed often but has never taken that final leap, much like Cross did a year ago in his 5th season. If Mills is able to do the same this year, look out.
