Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2023 33 FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER Notre Dame has earned a new com- mitment in the 2024 recruiting class just a couple hours before the Blue- Gold Game April 22, coming from Ho- schton (Ga.) Mill Creek pass rusher Cole Mullins. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder visited Notre Dame April 19 and didn't waste much time making his decision to com- mit to the Fighting Irish three days later. "The history there and education — what Notre Dame can provide for you after football," Mullins told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "It has the best football with the education you can get." On3 ranks Mullins as a three-star re- cruit, the No. 82 prospect in Georgia and the No. 77 linebacker in America. He plays inside linebacker at the high school level, but is expected to play vyper at Notre Dame. Miami, USC, Stanford, North Caro- lina, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh are among the other programs that offered Mul- lins a scholarship during his recruiting process. Each one of those offers came after his junior football season started. By the end of it, he had 58 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 6 quar- terback hurries and 2 passes broken up in 15 games. "It's a great fit," Mill Creek head coach Josh Lovelady said of his player's commitment. "The blend is some- thing he's looked for in filtering his offers he's had. Notre Dame is obviously a very high academic school that does a great job blending that with a very high level of football, too." The Irish staff extended the offer to Mullins Jan. 19, and both parties kept in consistent contact between the time of the offer and his visit. He speaks regu- larly with defensive line coach Al Wash- ington and defensive line assistant Nick Sebastian. "He kept telling me how I'm wanted there, how good the football and educa- tion is there, and they have it all there," Mullins said of Washington's communi- cation with him. Going into his April trip to Notre Dame, Mullins wanted to see what the coaches were like in practice and learn more about the busi- n e ss sc h o o l . T h ose boxes were checked and then some. "Coach Washington is a really good coach," Mullins said. "I like what he does and how he treats his players. He's very energetic. He'll get on his players, which I like." It was his first time meeting the sec- ond-year Irish defensive line coach. "It was great," Mullins said of spend- ing time with Washington. "It was the same as he is on the phone. He's very calm until practice." Mullins had conversations with de- fensive coordinator Al Golden as well. "I really liked him; he's great," Mul- lins said. "We didn't talk too much about football. It was more about the school and education — things outside of football." And, of course, Mullins chatted with head coach Mar- cus Freeman. "You can tell how smart he is, and he cares about his play- ers," Mullins said. "He's great to talk with." He made the trip with his parents and brother, who fully support him playing a bit farther from home. There are direct flights from Atlanta to South Bend, which makes travel much easier. I t ca m e d ow n to No t re Dame, Duke and Wake For- est for Mullins; it's clear that Mullins is an outstanding stu- dent and education is impor- tant to him. "It definitely played a role," he said of academics. "I'm more focused on foot- ball, but having the education really helps with the decision." Mullins also is a first baseman on the Mill Creek baseball team. His father, Pat, played quarterback at Utah State in the mid-1990s. He com- pleted 287 of 517 passes for 3,759 yards with 19 touchdowns and 25 intercep- tions in two seasons. His mother, Su- zette, ran track at Utah State. ✦ Fighting Irish Earn Pledge From Peach State Pass Rusher FILM ANALYSIS "The first thing I notice on his tape is that he has such high energy. He has a motor that will go, go, go. He swarms to the football and is an energizer bunny. Cole Mullins is relentless. You see him playing linebacker, strong-side defen- sive end and vyper. With him being 6-foot-4 already, I envision him growing into a strong- side defensive end. "He plays with great pad level. He's been coached well. The area that he plays in is big- time high school football. He's a guy who you watch on film, and you don't care what the ranking says. Notre Dame went and got a great player from one of the best areas for high school football in the country." — Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Tim Hyde COMMITMENT PROFILE COLE MULLINS Mullins is rated by On3 as the No. 77 linebacker nationally. As a junior at Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek High, he compiled 58 total stops, 10 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM "The history there and education — what Notre Dame can provide for you after football. It has the best football with the education you can get." MULLINS