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Junior Day swayed Georgia guard
By
Sammy Batten
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Recruiting Class of 2017 Thumbnail Sketches...
Connor Mills was always the big kid
in the neighborhood who naturally gravitated to football and started
playing the game at age five in local recreation leagues.
But it wasn't until Mills reached the eighth grade that the idea
football could potentially take him beyond the confines of his hometown
in Buford, GA, crossed his mind.
的've been lucky that I've always been good at football,'' Mills said.
釘ut playing college football hasn't always been a dream of mine. But
when I got to Buford in the eighth grade I started talking to (Buford
High School) Coach (Jess) Simpson, whose son was on my team. He told me
one day, 'Connor, you have a special talent. If you work on it and
perfect your craft, you can play football in college one day.' ''
Mills took Simpson's words to heart. His hard work and dedication paid
off as the 6-foot-3, 290-pound offensive guard reeled in more than 15
scholarships from college programs. But it was the one extended back in
February that eventually prompted Mills to join teammate,
Buford
quarterback Mic Roof, in choosing to play for East
Carolina.
Roof beat Mills to the punch,
making a verbal commitment to
the Pirates on May 20. Mills took a bit more time
and
gave his pledge to ECU on June 8.
Mills, however, said he knew he wanted to become a Pirate long before
that date. His choice was clear after visiting the ECU campus for Junior
Day back in April.
的 knew it that day,'' Mills said. 的 loved the coaching staff. I loved
the energy (offensive line) Coach (Geep) Wade and (head) Coach (Scottie)
Montgomery bring to the program. They are great men. They not only worry
about getting good players, but they care about getting good men.
的t secured the deal for me when I walked into that stadium knowing that
every Saturday there will be 50,000 people in there. I knew then I
wanted to be an East Carolina Pirate. But I wanted to wait until after
spring ball to commit.''
Mills eventually chose ECU over offers from Charleston Southern,
Charlotte, Elon, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Mercer, Middle
Tennessee State, Navy, Ohio University, Samford, Southern Miss, Troy and
Western Carolina.
The decision came after a banner 13-2 season with the powerhouse Buford
High program that saw the Wolves advance to the state Class AAAA finals.
Buford was seeking its fourth straight state crown after having won the
title in 2012, 2013 and 2014. But a 10-0 loss against Cartersville last
December halted the Wolves' championship streak.
Mills earned a late-season promotion to the varsity from the JVs as a
freshman to experience the state title run in 2013. He was scheduled to
become a varsity starter in 2014, but fractured his foot during
offseason workouts and sat out the entire year.
的 was doing box drills during weight lifting one day and came down
wrong,'' Mills said. 典here went my season. It was awful. The coaches
had told me at the end of my freshman year I had a chance to start with
the varsity as a sophomore. All that went away in one day.
的 had to have surgery. A screw was put in my foot and I was probably in
a cast for about two months and a boot for another month.''
Mills was fully recovered for his junior year. He was a starter at both
right offensive guard and defensive tackle as the Wolves reeled off 11
straight wins before falling in the finals.
The Pirates have recruited Mills to play offensive guard and he's
anxious to begin learning the nuances off the position from ECU's Wade.
"My best attributes right now are finishing blocks, my body position and
my ability to stay on my feet,'' Mills said. 溺y goal is to come in that
first day at East Carolina and be able to contribute. Every day I'm
going to work, listen and really take the coaching Coach Wade gives me.
When all is said and done, I'll be able to help out on Saturdays.''
Mills was the seventh player to join
ECU's recruiting class of 2017, but
that number jumped to 12 after five new recruits committed between
June 16-22.
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06/24/2016 02:52 AM |
