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'I just ran through his face': Former Notre Dame DT Rylie Mills' first career sack helps Seahawks win Super Bowl LX

IMG_7504by: Jack Soble02/09/26jacksoble56

Rylie Mills bull-rushed Patriots left guard Jared Wilson into quarterback Drake Maye‘s lap.

Notre Dame fans grew used to Mills’ strength making game-wrecking plays, but Seattle Seahawks fans hadn’t seen it yet from their rookie fifth-round pick. Mills missed most of the regular season, recovering from the torn ACL he suffered during Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff first-round win over Indiana on Dec. 20, 2024. He had played just 29 snaps as a Seahawk across five games, including just one playoff snap before Super Bowl LX.

With his right hand on Wilson’s shoulder, controlling the fellow rookie out of Georgia, Mills engulfed Maye. He grabbed the MVP runner-up’s shoulder pads and dragged him down, taking Wilson to the turf with him. When he got up, he hit his signature sack celebration: right knee up, arms flexed by his sides.

It was Mills’ first NFL sack, and his first sack since the play on which he tore his ACL against the Hoosiers. And it was a big one: Mills turned second-and-7 into third-and-17, and the Patriots would punt on the series.

The Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29-13, and Mills — alongside former Irish defensive back Julian Love, whose interception helped seal the game — became a Super Bowl champion in his first season out of Notre Dame.

“I just ran through his face and then got to the quarterback,” Mills told ESPN Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson. “I told myself last night, I was like, ‘No more thinking, just go.’ I don’t wanna swear, but just f—ing go.’ And then yeah, I got in that moment and just said I’m gonna go and let it rip.”

Mills totaled 17 sacks at Notre Dame, including 7.5 in 2024. His last one, though, cost him a great deal. Due to his freak injury while sacking Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, Mills lost the chance to play in the Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and national title game, probably a round or two in the 2025 NFL Draft and most of his rookie season in Seattle.

More: ‘One way or another’: How Notre Dame DT Rylie Mills drove to Orange Bowl in an RV, sparking trip to national championship

To go through that and, just under than 14 months post-injury, make a massive play in a Super Bowl victory meant everything to the Lake Forest, Ill. native.

“No,” Mills said when asked if he could imagine a moment like that. “I wasn’t even walking a year ago, so this is insane. It’s just a testament to the coaching staff and to the training staff and all the people — the trainers at Notre Dame — everyone that helped me. I couldn’t believe I got to this point.”

Removing the sentimental aspect, Mills now has a launching point for his second NFL season. His bull rush caught the attention of renowned NFL analyst Brian Baldinger, who broke down his sack on social media.

Notre Dame fans saw power like that from Mills in his final season with the Irish. Long considered a supremely talented yet somewhat inconsistent player, Mills finally put it together and was a dominant force in 2024.

His injury was a speed bump, but Seattle believes in Mills. General manager John Schneider once joked that he wasn’t sure if defensive coordinator Aden Durde would have shown up for work the day after the draft if the Seahawks had passed on him.

With his injury rehab in the past and a full offseason to get better, Mills should contribute to a Seahawks team that fully expects to be a Super Bowl contender again.

“That’s my brand: I’m gonna run through your face,” Mills said. “When I came in here, that’s what I told everyone I’m gonna do. And in the biggest moment, I wanted to do it.”