A fortune cookie has been sitting on Jeff Mills’ mantle for four years, unopened. But he expects that to change in the near future.
Mills used to be Houston Christian’s defensive coordinator and is now an assistant at Iowa State. While at HCU, he coached Tra Fluellen and instantly connected with his enthusiasm for the game of football.
When they were at HCU together, Fluellen walked into the room with a fortune cookie and told Mills to hold onto it. Fluellen asked him not to open it until he made it in the NFL, hoping the cookie would bring good luck.
Fluellen recently asked if Mills still has the cookie, and sure enough, it’s sitting next to a picture of Mills’ family in his home. He’s maintained a positive relationship with his former player even after Fluellen transferred to Middle Tennessee and is eagerly awaiting to open it.
After a stellar few years in Conference USA – though he missed the end of the 2023 season due to a torn ACL in November which he is still recovering from – Fluellen will have a chance to make a pro team.
“He is rare,” Mills told HERO Sports. “He’s a unicorn. He stands out in this competitive world of college football in that he is not just about football, he’s about everything that makes it fun to be a coach.
“I’m excited to see, whatever NFL team gets him, they’re going to be looking back and saying, ‘Wow.’ Beyond the athletic ability, beyond the football play, it’s what he brings to the locker room that will really inspire, unify, do all the things you look for in a leader, and it’ll pay huge dividends and they’ll be so grateful.”
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Tra Fluellen’s Collegiate Career
Fluellen has been in love with football since he was 7 years old. Being from Gilmer, Texas, he said the sport “is a way of life down there.”
Fluellen played wide receiver in high school, but he went to Houston Christian as a general athlete. There, he competed at safety right away and has been there ever since.
He’s embraced the physicality of the position.
“I wanna be the best I can be. I want people to know I’m the best. Just the competition in general. Any time I’m on the field, I feel like I just wanna prove myself and have fun,” Fluellen told HERO Sports. “Just being out there and showcasing my talents and people being in awe when they watch me play. That’s the biggest thing.”
Mills noticed right away at Houston Christian that Fluellen had the technique and instincts to play safety at a high level.
“That’s where I saw, wow, a guy that just showed up everyday, brought an enthusiasm that was contagious, a love of the game, driven by the goal of playing in the NFL someday,” Mills said. “That’s never diminished. That’s always been there. It drives him to want to be the best for the team but also the personal goals of playing on Sundays. … I just love the guy.”
At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he has the size to be a pro defensive back. But, Mills added, he can also read and process plays, has ball skills, can help with run defense, and has speed.
Fluellen was a HERO Sports Freshman All-American in 2019 and was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which goes to the FCS’ top freshman. He was tied for seventh in the Southland with 101 tackles to go with two interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.
After four games in 2020, Fluellen transferred to Middle Tennessee for the 2021 season.
Fluellen received interest from programs like Mississippi State, Auburn, Texas Tech, and more from the MAC and CUSA. But he chose MTSU because of the people there, who continuously checked on him and asked about his family. He wanted to go somewhere he felt loved and supported.
The fact the program has also produced pro safeties like Kevin Byard and Reed Blankenship didn’t hurt, either.
“And then I’ll be next,” Fluellen said. “Great safeties, great people, great coaches around here. So it was easy. I wanted to go somewhere and play right away. I didn’t want to stay back and wait on Mississippi State’s DBs to be done playing or wait on Auburn.
“And people kept faulting me, saying you would’ve done better at these schools. But at the end of the day, I’m still chasing the same dream. I’m still the same person, and you can’t take that away from me.”
In 2021, Fluellen played in 13 games with one start, accruing 29 tackles and one sack. The following year, he led the Blue Raiders with 104 tackles while chalking up four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and eight pass breakups.
In 2023, he totaled 64 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and three pass breakups as well as a team-best three interceptions. He was also voted a permanent team captain by his teammates.
“He is one of the rare players I’ve had in my career,” Mills said. “His combination of unbelievable leadership skills combined with high character, highly intelligent, athletic with size. He really has everything going for him.
“People gravitate towards him. He leads by example.”
He was All-Conference USA honorable mention each of the past two years. He made the Bronco Nagurski and Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch lists in 2023.
Fluellen said he better understands how to study his opponent after his time at MTSU.
“It made the game so much easier,” Fluellen said. “My knowledge of the game was so much better. My tackling skills grew. My speed throughout plays, and just my overall knowledge. I was able to tell people what to do and when to do it. If they had a question on the field, I was able to tell them because I knew.
“I studied the plays and it made me play to the ball a lot faster because I was in a committed relationship with the game and with the playbook. I’m still looking forward to wherever I go play, I know I’ll be able to learn the plays fairly quickly just because I’m invested into it. I love the game. It makes it easy when you love the game.”
Tra Fluellen’s NFL Hopes
Though Fluellen’s injury might affect his NFL Draft stock, he believes he’s a stronger player physically and mentally as he goes through his recovery. He’s been doing strength work daily.
He’s confident he’ll be ready for NFL preseason activities.
He said his main focus is taking his time and coming back only when he’s fully healthy. He believes too many players try to rush their recoveries.
But Fluellen not only has intentions of making the NFL. He wants to be a pro for at least eight years.
“Long term, I wanna stay in the league as long as I can,” Fluellen said. “I need to be as healthy as I can for the next eight years, and obviously nobody is guaranteed anything, so I’m just trying to take care of my body day by day, take it as professionally as I can and just understand the opportunity I have in front of me.”
Mills said he wished he had Fluellen’s maturity at his age. Even despite his ailment, Mills hasn’t stopped believing in Fluellen’s potential.
“He’s a winner,” Mills said. “That’s all I’ll say is he’s a winner. I put my stamp of approval on him. I’m excited to see where he ends up.”
