Former 5-star QB Davis Mills describes his Stanford journey to this point as “a little bumpy.” Emphasis on the bumpy.

Mills entered Stanford as the top-ranked quarterback in a 2017 class that included Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm. Those two quarterbacks, ranked just behind Mills in the Top247, battled for a national championship as true freshmen. Mills took a different path. He figured he’d redshirt. That’s the Stanford way. The injuries and extended wait to become the guy were less expected. Knee issues hampered Mills for most of his first two seasons, preventing him from participating in spring workouts until last offseason. When Mills finally got his chance to play last year, following an injury to starter K.J. Costello, he suffered a leg injury that cut into that rhythm and caused him to miss several potential starts.

This would not prevent a strong finish to the 2019 campaign. Mills threw for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns and a 66.4 completion percentage in the Cardinal’s final three games. That run included a record-setting 504-yard effort against the Cougars.

With Costello’s transfer to Mississippi State and a clean bill of health, Mills enters this spring as Stanford’s unquestioned starter at quarterback — just as his a few of his 2017 peers are preparing for the NFL Draft

“It’s the first offseason I’ve been in the position everyone can look toward," Mills said.

The entire country will soon have the same opportunity.

Mills competed in Elite 11 events with Tagovailoa and Fromm. He watched classmates like Kellen Mond (Texas A&M) and Sam Ehlinger (Texas) elevate to starting roles in their first seasons at power programs. Mills is excited to follow Tagovailoa and Fromm’s draft processes. He still keeps up with a lot of his classmates via text.

Those 2017 quarterbacks have already blown up. They’re known commodities while the No. 1 QB in that class has been largely regulated to an afterthought nationally. Mills plans to change that soon.

“I still believe I’m the best guy who was in this class,” Mills told 247Sports. “I just haven’t had the opportunity to show myself on a national level yet. That’s not me being cocky or anything. That’s just having confidence in myself based on what I’ve been able to do out here. I’m excited for what I can do this season. I’m going to put my head down and get to work.”

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Greater Atlanta Christian head coach Tim Hardy remembers panicking a little. His star quarterback — one of the most prolific passers in the country — had hurt his knee. An MRI revealed likely season-ending damage, derailing a state championship-worthy roster. Hardy knew he needed to internalize his dismay, so he and his staff called Mills into a meeting.

They hoped to comfort Mills, the player who would likely miss his senior season. Hardy figured Mills would be distraught. The staff patted him on the back and encouraged him. Mills acted entirely normal: “It’s OK, Coach.”

“It wasn’t fake,” Hardy said. “Just really even-keeled. In that moment he basically controlled what he could control and tried to make the most of it. I’d say our coaching staff, including me, did not take that approach. It was the 17-year-old.

“I think that’s allowed him to handle his challenges at Stanford as well.”

The season-ending knee injury turned out to be minor. Mills missed just a few weeks. Later that year, Mills hurt his knee on the fifth offensive play of the state championship game. A few drives later – after the medical evaluation finished – Mills was helping coach his teammates on the sideline. “He was just a second really calming voice,” Hardy said.

Mills credits his adversity-slaying demeanor to athletic losses in his neighborhood growing up. The youngest of a group that included two older sisters, both of whom played college tennis, Mills often confronted the issue of competing with much older and bigger kid. Mills, always competitive, opted for creative strategizing instead of sulking.

“I’ve tried to do that my whole life,” Mills said.

Hardy’s first descriptive words about Mills were “cool cat.” That’s both a good Queen song and a peak into Davis’ approach. Davis didn’t pick Stanford for instant on-field success. He chased a Cardinal offer because of academic prestige and a desire to be around like-minded people. Hardy remembers Davis hanging out with his future Stanford teammates Walker Little, Foster Sarell and Colby Parkinson at the 2017 All-American Bowl. The quartet clicked on a level beyond football as thinkers who approached the game (not to mention life) with a cerebral nature: “He was a pig in slop.”

Davis had a plan in recruiting. He wanted a Stanford offer and everything that represented – a degree, connections, an environment conducive to lifelong success – and waited. Mills received a dozen offers before the Cardinal officially entered the fray. Mills considered for a few months and committed.

A day after Mills announced for the Cardinal, Alabama called with an offer hoping to get into the mix. “It didn’t really matter because he was who he was,” Hardy said.

“I made a decision that was well thought out, and it’s carried me to where I am today,” Mills said. “Stanford is a place where I can grow academically even when I’m not on the football field. So, I’ve done that. I’ve also put my head down and waited for my opportunity to play here.”

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Words were not wasted when Mills is asked what he would’ve done had Costello opted to stay for a fifth season: “It would’ve been an open quarterback competition to my knowledge, and I’m pretty confident in my ability.”

Those skills will finally be on display in 2020 as the Cardinal attempt to rebound from a 4-8 season, by far the worst effort of the David Shaw era. Any turnaround will be paced by Stanford’s senior class, a historic group that arrived in Palo Alto alongside Mills. The Cardinal’s 2017 crop ranked 12th nationally, led by a trio of five-star prospects (Sarell, Little, Mills).

All but one member of that 14-man class will return in 2020 – Parkinson declared early for the NFL Draft. Ten of the remaining 13 started at least one game last season. All 13 will see significant snaps next year, including stars like All-American cornerback Paulson Adebo and Little, a potential first-round tackle, who is returning from a season-ending knee injury.

That group signified boundless potential and a possible breakthrough nationally when they entered Stanford. Now, the focus is on lifting the Cardinal back up before they exit.

“We’ve built a lot of chemistry and have relationships that spread across the team,” Mills said. “We know there’s only so much the coaches can do. The rest of the performance and everything else relies on us.”

Much of the responsibility rests on Mills’ stellar right arm. Gone the days of true ground-and-pound football in Palo Alto. The Cardinal ran the ball on 65.7 percent of their offensive snaps in Christian McCaffrey’s 2015 redshirt freshman season. That number dropped to 56.9 percent during Bryce Love’s Heisman finalist 2017 campaign. Last year, Stanford ran the ball 47.5 percent of the time.

The Cardinal, shifting with the rest of college football, are a pass-focused team entering 2020. They’ll go as far as Davis can take them. It’s the opportunity Davis has long planned for, even if that process took a few unexpected detours.

“Everyone is in a different situation with where they chose to go to school,” Mills said. “I could’ve gone places and started either the true freshman year or right after that. Everyone made their separate decisions. It’s very exciting to see guys you know and I’ve thrown with over the years do very successful things. I wish everyone the best who’s in the NFL Draft right now. It’s exciting.

“I’m just waiting for my opportunity to do what I can next season.”