Big time 2020 LB Kalel Mullings recaps Midwest swing
Linebacker Kalel Mullings is one of the most sought-after prospects in the 2020 class. The Milton (Mass.) Milton Academy star just finished up a trio of visits in the Midwest over the weekend and explained how each went.
IN HIS OWN WORDS…
“We flew into Chicago and went to Northwestern,” Mullings said. “After that we went to Notre Dame and Michigan.
“Northwestern was very nice,” he said. “They have a huge facility right by the water and it was crazy. They are doing big things. I got there pretty early in the morning and we got to see meetings, practice, and met with coach Fitz, coach Heffner, and coach McGarigle. We toured the campus and facilities. I think they said the new facility will be done in May. It was a great time. Being so close to Chicago is nice and Evanston is a nice place as well.
“Coach McGarigle is the linebackers coach and he is really up tempo and high energy,” said Mullings. “I was able to start the day with the linebacker meeting. It was good to see the things they learn and the things they watch for. They were immediately on the field after that, which was great. At the end of the day, I talked to coach Fitz, and he’s a great guy. I think he’s been there for about 11 seasons, and you can see why. He’s a great coach. That’s when I got the offer, during that meeting. We talked about everything as far as football and why I would want to go to Northwestern.
“Notre Dame was a great visit. It wasn’t what I expected, but in a good way," he said. "When I went up there, I wasn’t expecting too much because it’s not in a city, but it wasn’t what I was expecting, and it was great. The architecture is beautiful, the facilities are amazing, and the coaches are great. I was with coach Polian for most of the time and I also talked with coach Lea. We were able to go over some film and talk about my future with Notre Dame and how he coaches the linebackers. That was great.
“Their tradition was a little surprising," Mullings said. "You know Notre Dame has been great for a long time, but seven Heisman trophy winners is crazy. When you walk in, you see all seven of the trophies and it blows you away. It was great to see that tradition and hear about how they do it the right way. It was a great time. Hopefully I can get up there again soon. I like the coaches but I haven’t been at a camp or anything like that, so I don’t really know how they coach.
“Michigan was a great visit as well," he said. "This was my third or fourth time going up there. It was more of about getting more familiar with the coaches and the strength and conditioning staff. They’re finishing a new weight room and it’s state-of-the-art. I had a meeting with the head strength and conditioning coach to talk about how they do things. I spent a lot of time talking to coach Harbaugh and coach Washington. We got a little bit more of an in-depth tour of the campus, and that was good to see.
“As far as committing goes, I think it’ll be sometime after next season or going into my senior season," said Mullings. "I just want to make sure that when I commit that, unless something drastic happens, it’ll be set in stone. I don’t really have a leader or anything like that right now. I’m still looking around. I try to keep in touch with all the coaches as much as I can. Michigan, Stanford, Boston College, Northwestern, and Rutgers are reaching out to me the most. I’m on spring break for another two and a half weeks so I might go down to Duke, North Carolina, Clemson, and Georgia, but I’m not positive about that.”
RIVALS’ REACTION…
Mullings is gaining momentum on the recruiting trail and expect his offer sheet to grow exponentially. It feels like Michigan has a bit of a leg up on the competition at this point but Notre Dame and Northwestern certainly helped themselves. It will be interesting to hear how Mullings compares his upcoming visits schools in the south to the ones he just took to Michigan, Northwestern, and Notre Dame.
