The Nebraska football team filled a hole in its 2019 recruiting class with the commitment of running back from Garden City Community College Dedrick Mills.
The Nebraska football coaching staff was clearly a bit concerned about the direction the running back position was going in the 2019 class. In the span of a week, the Cornhuskers had one commit reopen his recruitment and another tear his ACL.
While the Huskers are going to hope that Ronald Thompkins can eventually come back, the staff plugged a hole with the commitment of Dedrick Mills. Mills is a JUCO transfer from Garden City Community College.
He is now officially the second JUCO running back the Cornhuskers have taken in the last two years. Running back Greg Bell, who fans will finally get to see do his thing in a live game next Saturday, was also JUCO transfer.
While Bell is certainly an exciting prospect, Mills might be on a whole other level. Before landing at Garden City CC, he played his freshman year at Georgia Tech. As a true freshman, he ran for 700 yards and 12 touchdowns.
His 2018 season in the Junior College ranks has certainly been impressive so far. In his team’s first game he ran for 267 yards and three touchdowns. That included a 57-yard dash.
Interestingly enough, Garden City isn’t just a “run first” program, but they are basically a “run only” program. In their 52-24 win over Dodge City, Mills’ team threw the ball exactly one time.
The addition of Mills could have big-time implications for the backfield next season. Bell will obviously be back, but now the Nebraska football team will be able to wait on Thompkins and his rehab without worry. Freshman Rahrmir Johnson, should he sign on the dotted line this winter, will also be able to be worked into the system a bit slower than they might have needed before this addition.