Rylie Mills Is Out For The Rest Of The College Football Playoff

Notre Dame's season-long rash of injuries continues, as head coach Marcus Freeman announced that star defensive tackle Rylie Mills would miss the remainder of the College Football Playoff. Mills went out of the win over Indiana after suffering a knee injury, and that injury will now keep him out for the rest of the season.

Mills was outstanding for Notre Dame this season, racking up 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks to go with 34 total pressures. Mills was playing the best football of his career over the last two months, and he was dominant against Indiana before going down with an injury.

"You can't replace Rylie Mills," Freeman said. "Yes, the production, but the leadership, a captain .... you feel awful for him as a person. A guy who decided to come back, improve his draft stock, be a captain, the value he provided this team is tremendous. He's done an excellent job as a football player and a leader. But you have to replace the production, you have to replace what he did for our defense in different ways. We have capable guys who will step up, who have stepped up all season."

The loss of Mills for the season makes it now two defensive line starters who were lost for the season, with Jordan Botelho going down for the season in week three. Notre Dame also lost Botelho's replacement when Boubacar Traore went down for the season. Mills emerged as the team's best defensive lineman this season. To make matters worse, Howard Cross III is still coming back from the ankle injury he suffered against Florida State. Cross played against Indiana but he didn't look as explosive as he did before the ankle injury.

Expect Donovan Hinish to step into the starting lineup to replace Mills. Hinish has been outstanding during the second half of the season, racking up three sacks in the final five games of the season. Who steps into the rotation after Hinish remains to be seen, but Armel Mukam is the most likely option due to his experience this season. Notre Dame could also choose to use Mukam and Gabriel Rubio more at nose and give Cross some time at three technique, where his game is suited well.