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Inside The Huskies

Time to Begin Promoting John Mills And Never Stop

The offensive lineman just picked up second-team All-American honors from Phil Steele's magazine.
Dan Raley|
John Mills was just singled out as a second-team All-American. Many more honors should be on the way.
John Mills was just singled out as a second-team All-American. Many more honors should be on the way. | Dave Sizer photo

For a University of Washington football team that recently has struggled to have its players individually recognized on a national level, John Mills appears ready to break down a lot of those barriers.

On Wednesday, the Husky offensive guard was singled out as a second-team All-American selection by Phil Steele's College Football Preview and this just might be the start of a lot of attention coming his way.

And you thought his only rewards were a tender steak cut and an ice cold Mug Root Beer.

John Mills usually has something to say as one of the UW's most visible personalities.
John Mills usually has something to say as one of the UW's most visible personalities. | Dave Sizer photo

No, there's probably no turning back for the 6-foot-6, 335-pound sophomore from San Francisco, who burst onto the scene in 2025 as an immediate starter at guard in Montlake, took a few turns on game day as a first-unit tackle and didn't get beat wherever he ended up.

The star-makers who compile these various All-America teams soon might find it difficult to leave Mills out of the discussion whenever college football's elite talent is identified.

Mills is not only extra beefy, he has sort of a mean streak that runs through him and he's hard to miss with his long blond Viking locks portruding out of his helmet and nearly stretching to his jersey number.

If he were playing for Ohio State or Alabama -- or had not flipped his commitment from Texas -- Mills already would be a legend in the making among all of his Power 4 peers.

Yet he plays in the Northwest and, much like the Pony Express in pioneer days, it takes a while for a letter or a package -- or, in this case, football recognition -- to reach this geographically distant outpost.

Granted, Mills was chose as a Freshman All-American as a reward for his first season with the Huskies, but now it's time for him to reach for it all.

While in more of subservient role as a first-year player, Mills has taken it upon himself to be one of the UW's more vocal team leaders.

Departed edge rusher Zach Durfee called him one of the best teammates he's ever had.

John Mills looks fearsome in a stance.
John Mills looks fearsome in a stance. | Dave Sizer photo

What hurts Mills is when his own football program falls down from a marketing standpoint, such as when it just picked out three players to speak at the forthcoming Big Ten Media Days and did it partially on a seniority basis, leaving Mills out.

No offense to senior linebacker Jacob Manu, senior center Landen Hatchett and junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr., the chosen speakers and each an accomplished player in his own right, but John Mills is the best player and most entertaining personality on this Husky team.

And it's a good bet he'll be the most decorated when the season is over.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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