At Penn State and everywhere else, there are players who change positions every year, and Tyrece Mills became one of those players over this offseason.
Some position changes receive a lot of coverage, such when Penn State star Abdul Carter began his transition form LB to DE over the winter.
Others fly under the radar.
On the same day news broke of Carter’s position switch, three other Penn State players— Mills, Lamont Payne (cornerback to safety) and Mekhi Flowers (safety to receiver) were listed with a different position on the roster.
In Mills’ case, he’s moving back to where he was when he first came to Penn State, and he’s the latest subject of All 105, a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State football player.
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 204 pounds
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Before Penn State: Tyrece Mills spent two seasons at Lackawanna Community College. That’s the same school former Penn State stars Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown went before transferring to Penn State. In seven games of the 2021 season, Mills picked up three interceptions. He also added 35 tackles (24 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, a sack and a forced fumble.
Before junior college, Mills was a four-year letterman at Northeast High School. He helped his team to three public league championships.
Mills committed to Penn State in May 2021.
2022: Mills didn’t appear in any games in his first season at Penn State.
2023: Mills appeared in six of Penn State’s 13 games, assisting on two tackles against UMass Oct. 14.
Where he stands: Where Mills stands depends on how well he transitions to his new position. Penn State needs depth at LB with Carter moving to the defensive front and Curtis Jacobs now in the NFL. If Mills can perform, he could be a solid depth piece for the PSU defense, with Tony Rojas and Kobe King expected to start.
A quote by Mills: It felt like home. They always show love, they call me every day and check in on me. They build a relationship, and that relationship just felt like home.” — Mills to PennLive in May 2021 on his commitment.
A quote about Mills: “I think his biggest strength is coming downhill and supporting the run like Marcus Allen did as well, but he also has the athleticism and ball skills to make some plays in those areas as well. So we’re excited to get him on campus.” — Coach James Franklin on Mills at his 2022 National Signing day presser.
It’s worth noting that Allen played safety at Penn State but spent time at linebacker with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL. So the comparison is still valid despite Mills moving back to linebacker.
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