John Mills is heading into year two at Washington with a clear idea of what he wants to sharpen before the season kicks off.
The Husky offensive lineman said he spent his offseason working out, fishing and getting ready for camp, but the mindset has already shifted now that fall is close. “I can't wait.
I've been thinking about it for too long. 'Wazzu' (Washington State), first game, is going to be booming here and I'm excited for every single game.”
Mills also shared an update on his grandfather, a former Husky player, saying, “He told me this morning he's doing better. He told me he's doing a lot better.
He's feeling better. So, it's good.”
When asked who was tougher, Mills didn’t hesitate. “Definitely my grandfather.
He's tough. He's definitely tougher than me, for sure.
He scares me a little bit. Yeah he's a baller.
He ran like 30 marathons, whatever. Veteran.
He's an absolute baller. He's a role model, for sure.”
Off the field, Mills has been enjoying a few local favorites. He talked about “Mugging with Mills,” saying, “I've always loved Mug Root Beer'.
Back home, me and my boys just... Mug is just like, we just love it.
And I think it worked perfect. The steak was amazing.
It's fire. Regular Mug or diet Mug?
I'm definitely a diet Mug guy because I'm trying to lean out. But the whole sugar one is definitely better, definitely tastes better, but the zero sugar one, you can't really even taste it.”
He added that he does like floats, though he tries to avoid the ice cream. Asked whether that was an NIL deal, he said, “It's just something I did.”
He also said Mug hadn’t reached out: “Not really, no. I'm trying though.
I'm trying.”
Mills went through a stretch with El Gaucho as well, though he said he wasn’t sure whether that was tied to NIL. “I'm really not sure.
I gotta talk to Ron about that. I think Doug's at least had to deal with that, so I'm not really sure what their idea is.”
He said he did eight of them and named one of his favorite meals there: “I love the steak El Gaucho. I like the filet mignon with the penne sauce and the risotto.
And I also love the Japanese beef risotto and the risotto. I don't know the name of it.
It's inspiring."
He laughed about the portion size, too, saying he probably should have gone back for more, but that he had enough steak to spare. He also explained his preference for bigger cuts: “That's why I love the porterhouse.
It's because they're big. They have a New York in them.
It was amazing. If we're going, this is the best bite, I would definitely say the steak El Gaucho.
The summer included a trip to Louisiana, where Mills went fishing in Venice. He said hunting plans were canceled because the grass was too tall, but the fishing trip delivered plenty.
“We went out in the gulf for reds and then we got a bunch of them and then also... kind of shark, but I didn't get a full one of that.” He said the shark was around six feet and that he also landed an amberjack that was about 60 pounds or 50 pounds, though it couldn’t be kept because it was out of season.
As for what happened with the catch, Mills said, “Well, we ate it there. And then we filleted it.
We made sashimi. And then we just left it for my host.“
He said the grouper was the best-tasting fish, along with mahi-mahi dip and king salmon cut right on the boat.
On the football side, Mills said he’s not actually the massive number that’s been floating around. “I'm not 350.
I don't know how they got those numbers.” He also pushed back on the reported weight of teammate Champ Taulealea, saying, “Yeah, I just don't understand.
I added up all the numbers and it was 5,505 pounds for the O-Line room. The numbers are off.”
Looking ahead, Mills said the biggest areas for improvement are clear. “I need to be better at my hand placement and I think I'm also going to be better at just moving as well just because I've slimmed down so much.”
He said he’s willing to play wherever the coaches want him, including tackle. “Really, wherever they see me fit, I'll just play whatever they think. I just want to help the team and be the best possible player I can be.”
Mills also pointed to the new faces around him up front, mentioning “Kodi Greene over there; Kolt (Dieterich), maybe, over there; at center, you not only have Landen (Hatchett), but Jake (Flores) was over there all spring.” He doesn’t think chemistry will be a major issue.
“I don't really think it's tough to build chemistry just because of how much time we spend together off the field and just how close we are together. Obviously, it's different playing right next to them.
There's different play styles and what not, but I'm really excited to just work with all of them.”
He has not been to the Coliseum before, but he has visited and is eager for USC. “I've been to it on a visit, but I'm excited to play USC, very excited.” When asked if that meant more than UCLA and the Rose Bowl, he said, “Yeah.”
USC did offer him, and he said he once had an official visit lined up before canceling it. “It's a nice spot.
My brother goes there. I love USC water polo, but I'm excited to beat USC football.”
Mills added that his brother is the starting goalie for the Trojans’ water polo team.
He closed with a few quick thoughts on the difference between Los Angeles and Washington. “I mean, LA is just hotter than here and it's definitely a nicer area here than USC.
It's just not that nice of a spot outside of there. It's cold, but not too cold.
And the rain is nice as well.”
And when asked for a cook on the team, Mills answered simply: “I'll say Hayden Moore. Hayden Moore is a good cook.” He also mentioned Drew Azzopardi.
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