Tennessee continues to try and find a point guard of the future in their 2019 recruiting class, and they sent out an offer to yet another guard in the 2019 cycle this week as they continue their search.
Caleb Mills is a 6-foot-3, 170-pound combo guard out of Swannanoa, North Carolina. His stock has exploded this summer as he’s participated in various summer leagues, and Tennessee took notice this week.
According to Justin Byerly, the main recruiting analyst for PrepHoops.com, the Vols extended an offer to the talented combo guard out of North Carolina.
Tennessee has offered 2019 guard Caleb Mills of @PSBelite pic.twitter.com/VWPUZbQU3q
— Justin Byerly (@JustinByerly) July 31, 2018
Mills isn’t rated yet by any major recruiting services, but that figures to change during the next recruiting update at the end of the summer evaluation period. Mills has performed exceptionally well over the last few weeks and really burst onto the scene when he dropped 26 points while making eight three-pointers against the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League team CP3.
In the month of July alone, Mills racked up 18 scholarship offers from various Division I programs. And that doesn’t include an offer he picked up from Cincinnati back in early June as well. Along with his offer from the Vols, Mills also added offers from Houston, VCU, Clemson, Florida State, St. Louis, Xavier, Mississippi State, Auburn, Marquette, Georgia Tech, and Harvard among others.
According to Brian Snow of 247Sports, Mills was one of July’s “Breakout Stars” in the summer evaluation period.
“While he doesn’t possess elite athleticism, Mills is an extremely skilled kid who can score from all three levels on the court,” Snow wrote. “Mills shoots it well out to 22 feet, and possesses a pretty good feel for the game as well. Add in that he is a good ball handler and a solid passer, and there is a lot to like with Mills. He saw his stock soar as more coaches laid eyes on him, and now he is becoming a priority high-major recruit.”
Mills’ highlight film backs up Snow’s assessment of him. He’s a very good combo guard who does a lot of things very well. Not only can he shoot the ball well, but he drives inside and finishes at the rim effectively too. He has good ball handling skills and has some solid skill at setting up his teammates. Mills has good size and moves well too.
Mills is the second guard the Vols have offered since four-star Tre Mann reopened his recruitment in mid-July. Tennessee also extended an offer to Tyrell Jones, another player who Snow mentions in his piece about breakout players in the month of July. Neither Jones nor Mills are rated by 247Sports yet, but that will change soon.
Tennessee’s recruitment of point guards will be interesting to monitor moving forward. If they miss out on Mann, then expect to see Rick Barnes and his staff pursue Mills and Jones heavily. But they won’t be the only teams doing so; Mills especially is becoming a hot commodity on the recruiting trail, and Tennessee will have plenty of competition to try and land him.
