ATLANTA — The mounting injuries suffered by Notre Dame football led to the Irish being without some of its most important contributors in the first 15 games of what will finish as a 16-game season Monday night.
Not only did that mean players were sidelined throughout the College Football Playoff, for some of ND’s most recent injured players, that meant not being able to attend some of Notre Dame’s games at bowl venues.
Defensive tackle Rylie Mills, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Dec. 20 in the 27-17 home win over Indiana in the first round of the playoff, didn’t make the trip to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal with his teammates because he was just days removed from surgery. The strangeness of being away from the team only increased following the terrorist attack in New Orleans that pushed the game back one day to Jan. 2.
“It was definitely just weird,” said Mills, a graduate senior with expiring NCAA eligibility in his fifth season. “I was able to text [linebacker and fellow captain] Jack Kiser, my roommate, and ask him how it was going. Then obviously you see the tragedy that happened down there, and you’re like, ‘Oh my God,’ watching it from the TV.
“It definitely was a weird feeling, especially watching the game on TV and hearing the commentators. Half the time I’m like, ‘No, that’s wrong.’ I still see the signals, so I know what they’re running. It’s definitely a weird feeling. I don’t really want to do that again. I kind of just want to be with the team.”
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Mills, who wasn’t allowed to fly until the swelling in his leg subsided, didn’t enjoy the experience of watching the 23-10 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl from home, so he reached out to members of Notre Dame’s athletic department to help him find a way to attend the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla. The solution? Renting an RV for Mills to ride in with his family from South Bend to South Florida.
Mills credited associate athletic director of strategic and football communications Katy Lonergan and Rally executive director Kayla Rogers for helping come up with the transportation plan for his family. Rally, Notre Dame’s in-house NIL agency, footed the bill.
“It was crazy,” Mills said. “It was 21 hours of driving. Me and my family, we all got real close. It was good. I’m doing my rehab and mobility stuff in the back, and the whole truck is going back and forth. I’m trying not to fall over. It was definitely a little hectic.”
Instead of yelling at the TV and celebrating with his teammates over FaceTime, Mills was able to rejoice with them in person following the 27-24 win over Penn State. When arrived in town prior to the game, he surprised some of his teammates.
“Everyone was kind of shocked,” Mills said. “I don’t think they thought I was gonna be there. It was great just being around the guys. Selfishly for me, it was great to be around the other people and the guys and get a sense of normalcy.”
While Mills was at the Orange Bowl, sophomore tight end Cooper Flanagan was stuck at home. He suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the Sugar Bowl the week prior and couldn’t travel while recovering from an operation.
“I was with my mom sitting on the couch,” Flanagan said. “It was definitely stressful but never a doubt. It was fun to watch.”
Both Mills and Flanagan were able travel with the team ahead of Monday’s national championship game between seventh-seeded Notre Dame (14-1) and eighth-seeded Ohio State (13-2) in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium (7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN).
“It can be bittersweet at times,” Flanagan said. “I wish I was out there playing with them, but it’s always awesome to see your friends, your teammates succeed. I’m trying to be here as a good teammate.”
Mills and Flanagan joined a growing list of players who learned at some point in the last several months that they wouldn’t be able to play another game this season. That group, which includes the likes of former starters Benjamin Morrison, Jordan Botelho, Ashton Craig and Boubacar Traore, added another member when starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp suffered a high ankle sprain in the Orange Bowl.
The injured players have shared a common bond of frustration and understanding how difficult working through physical therapy can be. Some are more experience than others.
“I’m kind of new to the team,” Flanagan said. “Hopefully, they graduate the injury school soon. They’ve all been great. They’ve all reached out and made sure I’m good.”
Botelho, the starting vyper defensive end to open the season, was one of the first Notre Dame players to have his season cut short by injury this fall. He ruptured the patellar tendon in his knee against Purdue on Sept. 14.
“My knee was just hanging,” Botelho said. I could tell it was bad, because it didn’t look like a knee at all.”
Botelho, a fifth-year senior, has since decided to return to Notre Dame for one more season, because the 2024 season will count as a redshirt year as a result of only playing in three games.
“That was a little heartbreaking for me, but God has a plan, so I’m just following it,” Botelho said. “I know that I have the chance to come back, which I’m very blessed and thankful to Coach [Marcus] Freeman for the opportunity. I’m gonna try my best to make it count.”
Traore, a sophomore who replaced Botelho as the starting vyper, suffered his season-ending ACL injury five games into the year against Louisville. Going through the recovery process together has made it more bearable.
“It was definitely hard at the beginning, but it’s a part of the game,” Traore said. “As me and Jordan look at it now, it’s to become the best versions of ourselves until we get back out there. We’ve been attacking the weight room, attacking rehab, just so when we come back, we’re even better than we were last time.”
The hardest part isn’t the recovery process itself, Traore said. It’s being unable to play at all that really stings.
“Especially in these big games, you want to be able to play and show what you could do,” Traore said. “You know what you could do, but stuff happens.”
Notre Dame’s playing for a national championship Monday in large part due to the ability of so many players to fill the voids left by others this season. The defensive line will enter Monday’s game without four of the linemen who played at least 18 defensive snaps in the season opener against Texas A&M. But defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio returned from his own preseason injury, defensive tackle Donovan Hinish has taken on an increased role and freshman defensive end Bryce Young has found ways to contribute.
“It’s been great,” Mills said. “It’s awesome seeing guys that I’ve seen in practice that I know can do it and then now get the opportunity to capitalize on it. It’s been awesome to see. I almost feel like a coach watching on the side. It’s been great to see those guys take off and really make an impact.”
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