Recruiting Report: Ethan Mills/St. Paul Central (2020)

<strong>ST. PAUL-- </strong>This recruiting report puts Northstar Football News in the heart of St. Paul as we chat with 2020 NFN prospect <strong>Ethan Mills</strong> a middle linebacker and fullback from St. Paul Central who has yet to find a home to play football next season. We chatted with Mills about his time with the Minutemen, his recruiting trail, and much more. <strong>Get to Know Ethan Mills</strong> Mills started his career at Central as a lineman but ended it on offense at fullback and defense at middle linebacker. Mills was also a monster this season on special teams. When his fellow Minutemen on the punt block team got injured, Mills stepped in and blocked 7 punts/field goals in just 5 games of action on special teams. His biggest asset to his game is his strength. Mills is a big dog in the weight room, as he power cleans 345, bench presses 355, and can squat 510 pounds of weight. That strength contributes to the field, to Mill's ability to shed blocks and drive ball carriers backward on defense. On the offensive side of the ball, Mills was also great at fullback, as he won All-District Offensive Player of the Year, which is a very tough feat as a fullback. <strong>Favorite Part about Linebacker</strong> Mills told Nate from Northstar Football News "My goal is to never take hits, but deliver them" which shows you how much of a ballhawk Mills is on the defensive side of the ball. <strong>College Interest/His Pitch to College Coaches</strong> Mills holds four offers in Division III but is still in the hunt for his home next year. He has offers from St. Olaf, Augsburg, Hamline, and Gustavus. As for those in the mix, Drake (FCS) and Jamestown (ND), who has been a huge competitor in Minnesota recruiting this season from NAIA are showing interest in Mills as well. He's also a great student, as he was on the All-State team for academics this season as well. His work ethic is phenomenal and he loves to compete for whatever it takes to win. "If I play for you I will work harder than anyone else," Mills told us as he said his teammates from St. Paul Central can attest to that take as well. <strong>Biggest Improvement </strong> Minutemen coaches told Mills that he needed to work on his lateral speed. He runs a solid 4.9 40 yard dash but had some struggled with the 5-10-5 drill clocking in at 4.85 to start the offseason. Mills put in the work during the offseason and went after that drill again to start the season, where he was running consistently in the 4.4 range which goes to show his work ethic is excellent. <strong>Ethan's Mentor</strong> Ethan has to thank his defensive coordinator <strong>Dave Gubbrud</strong>. Gubbrud was key to believing in Ethan's tough efforts, even as a freshman which is when Gubbrud inserted Ethan into the starting lineup in fall camp for the Minutemen. Ethan said Gubbrud "was never satisfied with me and always pushed me to get better," Mills believes that Gubbrud made him the player he is to this day by pushing him to the max he could do. <strong>Learning From His Senior Season</strong> As a third-year captain for the Minutemen, Mills learned that what you do on the field affects those around you. Central had to start 13 freshmen on both sides of the ball this season, so the impression that the captains like Mills had to make needed to be on point to teach the younger players the ropes. The practices those freshmen were put thru were a great opportunity for them to "learn and grow on the fly,". Mills had to show them direction and learned to appreciate the fine detail in rising a young roster that Central had this season. Mills also learned to appreciate the time you need in practice and on the field to make his team better.