by Bill Seals
After having picked up a trio of Power-5 offers in the span of a couple weeks, a Missouri prep offensive tackle in the 2020 class has seen his recruiting stock pick up considerably.
The most recent of the P5 offers for Columbia Tolton Catholic rising senior Monroe Mills is Iowa State, which extended one following Saturday’s Big Man Camp in Ames.
“After the camp, I was taken into the offensive line room and a couple of the assistant coaches were there talking with me,” said Mills. “After that, I was taken into Coach Campbell’s room and Coach Myers was there. That’s where they offered me.
“They thought I had improved immensely since my last year’s film and they really liked what they saw. They liked my footwork. They wanted to tell me about how the recruiting process goes at Iowa State. They also talked to me about how they’re like a family there and trust each other. I really liked hearing that about their program. I’m really excited to see how this recruiting process goes.”
The 6-foot-7, 280-pound Mills has now collected P5 offers from ISU, Illinois and Kansas in recent weeks. Rutgers had also offered earlier in the recruiting process. Mills is a three-star recruit with a 5.5 Rivals rating and is considered the 22nd overall prospect in Missouri for the 2020 class.
Mills recapped what was an intensive day in Ames that included the camp and an impromptu unofficial visit afterwards.
“We drove over from Illinois, because I had a camp there,” he said. “It was like a five-hour drive and not bad. We got there, did some stretching, did the running stuff, agility circuits, individual drills like pass protection and run-blocking drills, and then one-on-ones. I felt it was a really good camp and I got a lot of work in. I really learned a lot from Coach (Jeff) Myers; a lot of good steps. Footwork is super important for an offensive lineman, so it was great to work with him.
“After I got the offer, they took us out to look at the campus. We went out for lunch at a pizza place, which was really cool. I got to spend more time with Coach Myers and Coach (Derek) Hoodjer and learned more about them.”
Mills has taken a pair of trips to I-State over the past several months, attending a game in October and following that up with a Junior Day stop in the winter. He said those experiences have given him a good handle on the program.
“I feel like they’re a really close coaching staff and have been together for a long time,” he said. “They haven’t had a whole lot of coaching changes. They’re comfortable around one another and that makes it feel like a family.
“The program is up and coming. It’s a really close-knit program and they really care about the players. They’re putting a lot of money into it and a huge new building they’re putting next to the football stadium that cost like $80 million. They’re ready to become a big contender.”
Another game day visit this fall is likely for Mills, who said he’s also open to taking an official visit during or soon after the regular season.
After having picked up a trio of Power-5 offers in the span of a couple weeks, a Missouri prep offensive tackle in the 2020 class has seen his recruiting stock pick up considerably.
The most recent of the P5 offers for Columbia Tolton Catholic rising senior Monroe Mills is Iowa State, which extended one following Saturday’s Big Man Camp in Ames.
“After the camp, I was taken into the offensive line room and a couple of the assistant coaches were there talking with me,” said Mills. “After that, I was taken into Coach Campbell’s room and Coach Myers was there. That’s where they offered me.
“They thought I had improved immensely since my last year’s film and they really liked what they saw. They liked my footwork. They wanted to tell me about how the recruiting process goes at Iowa State. They also talked to me about how they’re like a family there and trust each other. I really liked hearing that about their program. I’m really excited to see how this recruiting process goes.”
The 6-foot-7, 280-pound Mills has now collected P5 offers from ISU, Illinois and Kansas in recent weeks. Rutgers had also offered earlier in the recruiting process. Mills is a three-star recruit with a 5.5 Rivals rating and is considered the 22nd overall prospect in Missouri for the 2020 class.
Mills recapped what was an intensive day in Ames that included the camp and an impromptu unofficial visit afterwards.
“We drove over from Illinois, because I had a camp there,” he said. “It was like a five-hour drive and not bad. We got there, did some stretching, did the running stuff, agility circuits, individual drills like pass protection and run-blocking drills, and then one-on-ones. I felt it was a really good camp and I got a lot of work in. I really learned a lot from Coach (Jeff) Myers; a lot of good steps. Footwork is super important for an offensive lineman, so it was great to work with him.
“After I got the offer, they took us out to look at the campus. We went out for lunch at a pizza place, which was really cool. I got to spend more time with Coach Myers and Coach (Derek) Hoodjer and learned more about them.”
Mills has taken a pair of trips to I-State over the past several months, attending a game in October and following that up with a Junior Day stop in the winter. He said those experiences have given him a good handle on the program.
“I feel like they’re a really close coaching staff and have been together for a long time,” he said. “They haven’t had a whole lot of coaching changes. They’re comfortable around one another and that makes it feel like a family.
“The program is up and coming. It’s a really close-knit program and they really care about the players. They’re putting a lot of money into it and a huge new building they’re putting next to the football stadium that cost like $80 million. They’re ready to become a big contender.”
Another game day visit this fall is likely for Mills, who said he’s also open to taking an official visit during or soon after the regular season.
