CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema today named offensive line coach Bart Miller as the second member of his Illini football coaching staff. Miller joins a Bielema coaching staff for the second time and comes to Champaign-Urbana after two successful seasons as offensive line coach and Offensive Run-Game Coordinator at Wyoming.

"Bart was able to show early in his career how effective he is as a teacher and motivator of young men," Bielema said. "As a young coach I hired him as an offensive line coach and he helped us capture our third consecutive Big Ten title. Bart has Midwest roots and will help us recruit and keep Illinois players at home wearing the Orange and Blue. We are very excited to have Bart join our Illini family."

Miller's first full-time coaching position came as the offensive line coach at Wisconsin under Bielema in 2012. He took over the offensive line unit in September of 2012 after serving as a graduate assistant coach the previous season at Wisconsin. The Badgers ranked No. 13 in the nation in rushing offense in 2012, averaging 236.36 rushing yards per game. Wisconsin won its third straight Big Ten Championship that season, defeating Nebraska 70-31 in the Big Ten Championship Game, and played in a third consecutive Rose Bowl. 

At Wisconsin, Miller coached First Team All-Big Ten selections Travis Frederick (center) and Rick Wagner (left tackle) in 2012. Frederick earned First Team All-America honors from Pro Football Weekly and went on to be the first-round selection of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Draft. Wagner received Second Team All-America recognition from CBS and was a fifth-round selection by the Baltimore Ravens. A junior on that offensive line, guard Ryan Groy, went on to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2013 and was a Third Team Associated Press All-American in 2013. He also went on to play in the NFL. Wisconsin's offensive line unit blocked for running back Montee Ball, who was the 2012 Doak Walker Award Winner, a two-time (2011 and '12) consensus All-American, the 2012 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and a 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist.

In his latest stop at Wyoming, Miller joined the Cowboy staff in 2019 as offensive line coach and was promoted to Offensive Run-Game Coordinator in addition to his offensive line duties for the 2020 season. In his first season coaching the offensive line, the Cowboys were one of a named to the 2019 Joe Moore Award Honor Roll, honoring the top collegiate offensive line unit in the nation. Wyoming's offensive line also paved the way for the Cowboys to rank No. 2 in the Mountain West Conference and No. 23 in the nation in rushing offense in 2019, averaging 214.8 rushing yards per game. 

Miller coached the offensive line at Ohio University in 2018 when the Bobcats posted a 9-4 overall record including a 6-2 mark in the Mid-American Conference to place second in the East Division. Ohio earned a berth in the DXL Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas, where the Bobcats defeated San Diego State, 27-0.

Ohio ranked No. 9 in the nation in rushing offense in 2018, averaging 258.5 yards per game. The Bobcats ranked No. 12 in the NCAA in scoring offense (40.1 points per game) and were No. 16 in total offense (466.8 yards per game). The offensive unit also ranked No. 8 in the nation in third-down conversions (48.7 percent), was No. 9 in time of possession (33:18), tied for 17th in first downs gained (318) and ranked No. 23 in the NCAA in red-zone offense as it converted 88.9 percent of its red-zone opportunities into scores.  

While coaching the tight ends at Air Force in 2017, Miller was part of an offensive unit that averaged 417.5 yards of total offense per game to rank No. 3 in the Mountain West and averaged 307.4 rushing yards per game to lead the league and rank No. 4 in the nation.  The Falcons also averaged 31.4 points per game to rank No. 3 in the conference. Miller's tight end unit averaged 19.5 yards per reception.

Miller coached the offensive line at Minnesota during the 2016 season when the Golden Gophers enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in recent history that year, winning nine games (9-4 record) for the first time since 2003 and placing fourth in the Big Ten West Division. The Gophers earned a bid to the 2016 Holiday Bowl, where they defeated Washington State, 17-12. Miller coached offensive lineman Jonah Pirsig, who earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and the media. Miller's offensive line helped pave the way for the rushing tandem of Rodney Smith (1,158 yards, 16 touchdowns) and Shannon Brooks (670 yards). Minnesota averaged 183.6 rushing yards per game to rank No. 5 in the Big Ten, and the Gophers ranked No. 19 in the nation in fewest sacks allowed (1.31 per game).

Prior to Minnesota, Miller coached the offensive line at Florida Atlantic for the 2014 and '15 seasons. Miller's offensive line at Florida Atlantic allowed only 21 sacks in 869 plays in 2014, and only 26 sacks in 887 opportunities in 2015. In the four seasons before Miller arrived, the Owls had allowed an average of 31 sacks per season.

As the offensive line coach at New Mexico State for the 2013 season, Miller helped create a new offensive system for the Aggies which in the last five games of the season averaged 34 points per game, 180 rushing yards per game and 300 yards of total offense per game. He took over a line that had allowed 45 sacks the year prior to his arrival and improved that protection by more than half to only 20 sacks allowed in more than 400 plays in 2013. 

In 2011 as a graduate assistant during his first stint with Bielema, Miller helped coach a Wisconsin team that ranked No. 11 in the country in rushing offense, averaging 235.57 rushing yards and worked directly with the offensive line and tight ends. The 2011 offense averaged 44.1 points per game to rank No. 6 in the nation. Wisconsin won the Inaugural Big Ten Championship Game over Michigan State, captured its second consecutive Big Ten title and appeared in the Rose Bowl for the second straight season. Miller helped coach First Team All-Big Ten honorees Peter Konz (center), Josh Oglesby (tackle) and Kevin Zeitler (guard). Konz and Zeitler were First Team All-America selections by both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and Pro Football Weekly. Zeitler was a first-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL Draft, and Konz was taken in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons. That offensive line aided in the success of running back Ball and First Team All-Big Ten quarterback Russell Wilson.

Miller began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 2010 at New Mexico State where he worked primarily with the offensive line.

As a player at the University of New Mexico from 2003-07 under head coach Rocky Long, Miller was a starter and two-year letterman on the offensive line. He earned Academic All-Mountain West Conference honors as a junior and senior. The Lobos had a 1,000-yard rusher, two 1,000-yard receivers and a 3,000-yard passer in 2007. The Lobos appeared in four bowl games during Miller's career: the 2003 Las Vegas Bowl, 2004 Emerald Bowl and 2006 and '07 New Mexico Bowls. New Mexico won the 2007 New Mexico Bowl over Nevada by a score of 23-0. 

Miller played football and graduated from Elk Grove High School in the Chicago area prior to completing his bachelor's degree in organizational communication from New Mexico in 2007. He obtained a master's degree in education from New Mexico State in 2011. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Miller and his wife, Amy, have two sons, Barrett and Gunner. 

The Bart Miller File

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Family: Wife: Amy; Sons: Barrett and Gunner
Twitter: @Coach_BMiller
Education: New Mexico, 2007
Playing Experience:
New Mexico (Offensive Lineman) - 2003 Las Vegas Bowl, 2004 Emerald Bowl, 2006 and 2007 New Mexico Bowls

Coaching Career