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Three Notre Dame Leftovers: Kevin Bauman, Rylie Mills, Chris O’Leary Buzz

Brian Kelly dipped into the well of animal analogies to find the proper description for sophomore tight end Kevin Bauman’s year one to year two growth.

At risk of sounding extreme.

“I want to be careful, so please bear with me and don’t run to the quote here,” Kelly said.

But …

“He was a bull in a china shop breaking glass all over the place when he started off.”

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How so, exactly?

“He was tying himself up a lot,” Kelly said. “He was running into safeties, running into linebackers and couldn’t free himself up. This is a guy who is developing along the way.”

This year, after a few fall camp viewings, a gazelle feels like the more appropriate animal comparison. The 6-4½, 242-pound Bauman has the look of a supple and graceful pass catcher.

He shined in the Aug. 19 open practice, especially in red-zone drills. He hauled in three touchdowns in contested-catch situations and drew a pass interference penalty on another target. He boxed out senior safety Houston Griffith on one touchdown reception. He hauled in another on a corner route.

In one-on-ones, Bauman shed freshman safety Justin Walters at the top of a dig route to gain a few yards of separation and make a catch.

All told, it’s a testament to his development.

“He’s refining himself in this position,” Kelly said. “The tight end works in a phone booth. He has to be able to slip and get open. He’s really refining himself, getting on the edge of linebackers and safeties and putting himself in positions where he can use his ability.”

Bauman has earned some work with the first-team offense this fall. He entered camp in a battle with freshmen Mitchell Evans and Cane Berrong for the No. 3 tight end role — not an insignificant duty in Notre Dame’s offense. He appears to have positioned himself well to formally earn it.

Stacking together more good practices like Thursday’s can help his cause to expand the third tight end’s usage or pilfer some snaps from No. 2 George Takacs.

Rylie Mills’ Big Day

The latest open practice was a testament to Notre Dame’s defensive line depth.

A player who’s not a projected starter had arguably the best day of anyone at the position. And it’s not a one-off performance. No. 99 was a backfield resident once again.

Sophomore Rylie Mills terrorized Notre Dame’s offensive line during the scrimmage portion of the Aug. 19 practice.

When Mills played his usual three-technique spot, he gave Notre Dame’s guards more than they could handle. At five-technique defensive end in a three-man front, he made life difficult for the Irish’s tackles. He will see time at both positions in defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman’s multiple-front scheme.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football sophomore defensive lineman Rylie Mills
Mills played 14.1 snaps per game as a freshman in 2020. (Mike Miller)

Even right now, as the No. 2 three-technique tackle behind Jayson Ademilola, Mills is poised to have a weekly role. His mix of burst, quickness and power earned him a rotation spot as a freshman last year and stood out in the spring game.

Thursday’s practice, though, was a case to add even more work to his plate. The 6-5, 283-pound Mills’ versatility makes finding him more snaps an easier task.

“Some people use terms like, ‘He can bend, he’s not stiff,’” Kelly said. “He’s a long player. His physicality lends itself to being able to play a few different positions. I think you’re going to see a guy like Rylie Mills flourish in the system Marcus runs.”

Chris O’Leary Drawing Praise

Notre Dame’s newest on-field assistant coach is already earning national attention for his work with the Irish.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg included Irish assistant Chris O’Leary in his recent list of position coaches to watch this season. O’Leary, 29, is in his first year as Notre Dame’s safeties coach.

“Up-and-comers are a theme of this year’s list, and O’Leary qualifies after moving from a graduate assistant role to overseeing the safeties under new coordinator Marcus Freeman,” Rittenberg wrote. “Kelly could have gone with much more experienced options but picked O’Leary, a favorite of former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea who could have followed Lea to Vanderbilt.”

The 2021 season will be O’Leary’s fourth at Notre Dame but first as a Division I position coach. He was a graduate assistant under Lea in 2020 and coached the rovers. He spent 2018-19 as a defensive analyst.

O’Leary came to Notre Dame from Division II Florida Tech, where he was the safeties coach for former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Rick Minter in 2017. O’Leary began his coaching career at Georgia State as a graduate assistant in 2015. He worked with the defensive line in 2015 and the secondary in 2016. He graduated from Indiana State in 2014 and was a wide receiver on the Sycamores’ football team.

“Kelly has been increasingly more open to giving young coaches chances — offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Freeman and Lea are recent examples,” Rittenberg wrote. “If O’Leary can help keep Notre Dame’s defense on a strong trajectory, he could soon be in line for coordinator consideration around the country.”

O’Leary’s position group includes an All-American and potential top-10 NFL Draft pick in junior Kyle Hamilton. The other safety spot is open, with seniors Houston Griffith and DJ Brown as the primary candidates. Griffith has earned most of the first-team work and appears to have the edge. He has produced a strong fall camp after three uneven seasons.

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