Mills Makes Memorable UW Football Return -- On And Off Field

The freshman offensive lineman was greeted by his very own fan club at Husky Stadium.

John Mills and his loyal followers at Saturday's game. | Big Ten Network

It's safe to say a lot of people missed John Mills while he was out for a couple of weeks nursing a foot or leg injury.

Demond Williams Jr. for one.

Jedd Fisch for another.

An instantaneous Mills fan club, blond wigs and all.

The latter group showed up for Saturday's University of Washington-Illinois football game over the weekend at Husky Stadium and mugged for a photo with the ever-accommodating freshman offensive guard and drew Big Ten Network air time in the process.

Mills from San Francisco is fast generating cult hero status among the Montlake faithful and it's not hard to see why.

He's got that unkept rock band roadie look.

He has that gargantuan 6-foot-6, 342-pound football frame.

He's a newly turned 18, just a babe among men.

And he's not only a Husky starter when healthy, he could be well on his way to all kinds of playing accolades before he's done.

And he's a little zany.

Nothing is out of reach for him.

John Mills soaks in a 42-25 victory over Illinois in his return from an injury. | Dave Sizer photo

After missing previous games against Rutgers and Michigan, Mills returned to action in Saturday's 42-25 victory over Illinois and he stood out for many reasons.

Before the game started, Mills was on the sideline being typical John Mills.

He and fellow freshman Donovan Robinson, a linebacker, were seen head-butting each other to get in a proper mindset.

Robinson wore a helmet. Mills did not.

Once on the field, Mills and the rest of the offensive line formed an impenetrable pocket for Williams, who avoided a sack for just the second game this season.

With senior offensive tackle Carver Willis and Mills both given the go-ahead to play again, the Huskies piled up 449 yards of total offense, which was 112 more than Illinois had.

"There's certainly a lot of flexibility there," Fisch said of the return of the left side of his line. “To have them back, I hope that it continues to look like it did early on in the season, and I think that will continue to help us get to where we want to be.”

Mills was spelled at times by redshirt freshman Paki Finau, who's been more than an able replacement as a left guard but doesn't quite bring the outlandishness of his younger teammate. No one does. No one comes close.

Starting center Landen Hatchett and freshman guard John Mills get ready to play the opener against Colorado State. | UW

During his periodic breaks, Mills could be seen standing well off the sideline, closer to the stands than the field, enthusiastically clapping and doing his part to get the crowd into it.

As it stands, the big blond lineman doesn't have to work too hard to make anyone excited about him or Husky football.

Just ask those guys in the wigs.

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