No Tiger looked forward to the 2015 season more than senior safety Jalen Mills.
The night before LSU football’s annual Media Day on Aug. 16, Mills’ excitement even reached his dreams.
“Last night, I woke up out of my sleep, and we won the Southeastern Conference Championship,” Mills said on Media Day. “Chills were going all through my body. I’m so excited.”
But Mills’ senior campaign hasn’t gone as planned — he was sidelined with a fractured left fibula during fall camp.
Instead of leading LSU’s secondary from his stalwart spot at safety, Mills spent the first five weeks coaching the Tigers from the bench until he returned to the gridiron during the Tigers’ victory against then-No. 8 Florida on Oct. 17.
“He brought some of the energy back,” said sophomore safety Jamal Adams. “We missed him. It’s only going to get better from here.”
Injuries are difficult, but for a player like Mills, who started every game through his first three seasons, missing games is an entirely new experience.
Despite the disappointment of sitting out, Mills said he kept a positive outlook throughout his rehab with his faith and the support of his teammates, coaches and family.
Throughout his recovery, Mills said he focused on his rehab, going in for treatments two or three times a day to get back on the field.
“You go through the injury, and you know the timetable that’s set,” Mills said. “When that time hits, you’re like, ‘Man, the season is going on. Guys are playing great.’ You just want to be out there with your brothers.”
His teammates missed his presence, but Mills’ leadership never wavered. Instead, it transformed into sideline coaching sessions, complete with the use of a white board.
Mills’ coaching duties were usually aimed at the secondary, but linebackers were not immune.
“He’s been a big leader,” said senior linebacker Deion Jones. “He’s in the game more than us. He’s always coaching the defensive backs, being in their ear. He’ll get on us too if we are in the wrong spot during coverage. He’s a motivating guy.”
During his time on the bench, Mills acted as an emissary between the coaches and the Tigers’ secondary, giving the defensive backs a different voice of reason.
“I feel like it was easier if something was to happen for guys to talk to me instead of talking to the coaches,” Mills said. “Coaches get a little bit more emotional. Maybe a coach could tell me something to tell the guys.”
Despite embracing the Tigers’ “next man up” mentality, junior safety Rickey Jefferson said the Tigers struggled to consistently communicate in pass coverage during Mills’ absence, translating into big plays through the air.
The Tigers allowed 17 receptions of more than 15 yards during LSU’s five games without Mills, surrendering an average of 191.8 yards through the air through the same stretch.
Mills said his understanding of the defense and communication should limit the busts in coverage.
His first public step for his return was suiting up for the Tigers’ relocated Oct. 10 game against the University of South Carolina.
As Mills took the field for warmups, he hyped up the rest of the secondary, dancing and singing along with music blasting from Tiger Stadium’s sound system.
“I was happy like a kid in a candy store,” Mills said. “I was out there running around. Coach was telling me to calm down, but I was excited.”
Although he was held out as a precaution, Mills said he could have played, and his energy during pre-game warmups filled a role usually reserved for an electric Death Valley crowd.
Mills didn’t record a tackle or a single defense statistic in his limited snaps at nickelback and safety during his return against the Gators, but it didn’t matter — the self-proclaimed “sauce god” was back.
Looking forward to the rest of his senior season, Mills aims to stay within his own abilities and not try to force big plays.
“That’s when the big plays happen that you don’t want to happen,” Mills said. “Just go out there and play my football. Just playing the way I can and playing for my teammates. Not trying to make an extra tackle or extra interception or strip ball, nothing like that.”