Davis Mills has been a kid from Atlanta, Georgia his whole life.
Except for those four seasons he was with the Stanford Cardinal football team.
The Houston Texans’ third-round pick will return to his college stomping grounds Jan. 2 when they take on the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Week 17.
Being from the south, one would figure Mills would end up at a school in the region. Instead, Mills embraced the climate and culture shock of going two time zones away from where he lived his whole life in the Atlanta area.
“Obviously, the weather and the campus out there is beautiful,” said Mills. “I wasn’t really missing the heat from back in Georgia. But the biggest thing, my family flew out as much as they could to come see me when I was playing. I tried to get back as much as I could when we had an off weekend or extended break.
“When it came down to it, I felt Stanford was the best fit and it didn’t really matter where it was in the country because it’s the best school in the country. Going out there was an awesome experience and it’s exciting to go back to the area this weekend.”
Mills is riding a two-game winning streak as the Texans have found a little momentum. At 4-11, their season will be over in a couple weeks. The 49ers at 8-7 have possession of the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs, and can ill afford any losses down the home stretch, which won’t make for a warm homecoming for Mills.
Said Mills: “I’m excited, but when it comes down to it, it’s just like any other game, any other week, we’re preparing the same.”
Mills will be going against another fellow rookie quarterback in Trey Lance, who will be making his second career start.