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Monroe Mills Expects New-Look UVA Offensive Line to Quickly Develop Chemistry

Originally posted on Virginia Cavaliers on SI
By Aidan Baller | Last updated Feb 11, 2025 6:05 PM ET

A midwestern man residing in Columbia, Missouri, Monroe Mills once wanted to come to a school like UVA.

"When I was a freshman coming out of high school, I had a weird thought that I was a smart guy… and Virginia was actually on my radar," said Mills.

Today, Mills stands on grounds as a graduate student at the school he once wondered about. Still, the road to Charlottesville was one of twists and turns as his collegiate career started out west at Oklahoma State, where he joined the Cowboys as a three-star prospect.

While at OSU, Mills watched from his sideline as then-TCU quarterback Chandler Morris took the field, not knowing they would one day join forces for their final collegiate seasons.

"We've been talking crap to each other a little bit," Mills mentioned about his initial interactions with quarterback Chandler Morris as teammates.

After two years in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Mills jumped to Texas Tech, where he would spend two seasons featuring both a right and left tackle, adding experience while strengthening his portfolio as a reliable tackle for his quarterbacks. Mills closed his junior season with a 98.2 pass-blocking efficiency rating by PFF.

Mills received his degree from Texas Tech but chose to continue his collegiate career, heading east to Louisville, Kentucky, a little less than a six-hour drive from home. As a Cardinal, Mills bolstered his stock, earning an 82.3 overall PFF grade, third best of any tackle in the ACC and 16th best in the country.

After a year at Louisville, Mills again entered his name into the portal in search of one final home, rated as the No. 8 player and top offensive tackle in the transfer portal, according to On3. Quickly, the Cavaliers reached out with an offer. Ironically, Mills missed the game against UVa in 2024 due to injury, watching the game from his couch.

"They said it was a unique atmosphere," Mills recalled about his teammates' impressions of Scott Stadium in the Cardinals 24-20 victory this past Fall.

Upon receiving the offer, a teammate of Mills, Joe Crocker, put Mills in contact with Noah Josey, and the two quickly bonded.

Mills quickly saw Josey as a "similar-minded guy" who played a significant role in nabbing Mill's commitment to the Hoos. It also helped that Mills' younger sister had already made her way to the Commonwealth.

"My little sister is just an hour away at Washington and Lee [University] and she was gonna kill me if I came here. So I was like, alright, makes that an easy decision," said Mills.

Morris also reached out, sensing something special that Mills could add to his offensive front, "He was one of the first people to reach out to me here. He's like, Yeah, let's make something happen here," said Mills.

Arriving on grounds, Mills has expressed optimism of the offensive line unit composed of a ton of transfers including himself, Kevin Wigenton (Illinois), Tyshawn Wyatt (JMU) and Brady Wilson (UAB), alongside returners Noah Josey, McKale Boley, Blake Steen and Jack Witmer.

The situation is similar to Louisville last year, where a band of transfers were forced to come together quickly. Mills expects similar results for his new team in 2025.

"We're not a single individual position. We have to be cohesive. So, I mean, I think we will, I know we will," said Mills. "We're a bunch of old guys, a bunch of old heads."

With the entire group already enrolled at Virginia and set to participate in spring football, Mills and Co. should have plenty of time to mesh before Virginia's season opener on August 30th against Coastal Carolina.