Football
Miller, John
vs
Indiana State
Sep 12 (Fri)
6:30 p.m.
John Miller
- Title:
- Running Backs
- Email:
- football@iu.edu
Entering his sixth season with Curt Cignetti and his second in Bloomington, John Miller continues to tutor the running backs after the program reached the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Miller joined Cignetti's staff at James Madison as a graduate assistant (2018) and has spent six of the last eight seasons on his staff. The 2017 Colonial Athletic Association Special Teams Player of the Year was Cignetti's running backs coach for four seasons (2021-23) at JMU before he followed to Indiana (2024-).
The rushing attack of Justice Ellison (10) and Ty Son Lawton (11) accounted for 23 of Indiana’s program-record-tying 37 rushing touchdowns on the season. The due became the first set of IU running backs – third set of rushing scorers - to reach double-digit touchdowns on the ground in a single season.
At JMU, Miller’s running backs room averaged 175.6 yards per game and 1.9 touchdowns per game over 45 games under his watch. Six Dukes running backs eclipsed 500 yards rushing in a season and his group rushed for over 2,000 yards twice.
He coached Percy Agyei-Obese to a pair of All-Sun Belt honors over three seasons. After he earned second-team FCS All-America status during the 2020-21 spring season, but an injury limited him to just four games in fall of 2021. The 2020-21 season included first-team All-SBC and 102.4 yards per game on the ground.
Agyei-Obese returned to grab third-team All-SBC honors in in 2022 and finished his JMU career ranked No. 2 in both career rushing touchdowns (39) and rush attempts (694), No. 3 in rushing yards (3,503) and total touchdowns (39), and No. 4 in scoring (234).
In his first season back in Harrisonburg, his running backs lead the CAA and ranked No. 6 nationally in rushing yards per game (232.6) during the spring 2020-21 season.
Miller spent two seasons on staff at Texas (2019-20) as an offensive quality control coach. He worked primarily with the Longhorn wide receivers, handled defensive film breakdown, scouting reports, pass-game plan drawings, self-scout, and daily operations with the group.
He helped coach a pair of Longhorns to the NFL ranks in 2020 in Devin Duvernay, a third-round pick to Baltimore, and Collin Johnson, a fifth-round selection to Jacksonville.
Miller had a short stint during the spring of 2019 at ECU as an offensive graduate assistant with the receivers and tight ends. He began his coaching career with the Dukes (2018) as a graduate assistant with the wide receivers.
As a student-athlete, Miller helped JMU to back-to-back appearances in the national championship game, which included winning the 2016 title. A first-team All-CAA punt returner in 2017, Miller scored the game-winning touchdown in 2015 at FBS foe SMU and recorded the insurance touchdown at North Dakota State in the 2016 FCS Playoff semifinals.
Miller earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from James Madison in 2018.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
James Madison University
2018: Graduate Assistant – Offense
University of Texas
2019-20: Quality Control – Offense
James Madison University
2021-23: Running Backs
Indiana University
2024-: Running Backs
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
James Madison University
2014-17: Wide Receiver
Miller joined Cignetti's staff at James Madison as a graduate assistant (2018) and has spent six of the last eight seasons on his staff. The 2017 Colonial Athletic Association Special Teams Player of the Year was Cignetti's running backs coach for four seasons (2021-23) at JMU before he followed to Indiana (2024-).
The rushing attack of Justice Ellison (10) and Ty Son Lawton (11) accounted for 23 of Indiana’s program-record-tying 37 rushing touchdowns on the season. The due became the first set of IU running backs – third set of rushing scorers - to reach double-digit touchdowns on the ground in a single season.
At JMU, Miller’s running backs room averaged 175.6 yards per game and 1.9 touchdowns per game over 45 games under his watch. Six Dukes running backs eclipsed 500 yards rushing in a season and his group rushed for over 2,000 yards twice.
He coached Percy Agyei-Obese to a pair of All-Sun Belt honors over three seasons. After he earned second-team FCS All-America status during the 2020-21 spring season, but an injury limited him to just four games in fall of 2021. The 2020-21 season included first-team All-SBC and 102.4 yards per game on the ground.
Agyei-Obese returned to grab third-team All-SBC honors in in 2022 and finished his JMU career ranked No. 2 in both career rushing touchdowns (39) and rush attempts (694), No. 3 in rushing yards (3,503) and total touchdowns (39), and No. 4 in scoring (234).
In his first season back in Harrisonburg, his running backs lead the CAA and ranked No. 6 nationally in rushing yards per game (232.6) during the spring 2020-21 season.
Miller spent two seasons on staff at Texas (2019-20) as an offensive quality control coach. He worked primarily with the Longhorn wide receivers, handled defensive film breakdown, scouting reports, pass-game plan drawings, self-scout, and daily operations with the group.
He helped coach a pair of Longhorns to the NFL ranks in 2020 in Devin Duvernay, a third-round pick to Baltimore, and Collin Johnson, a fifth-round selection to Jacksonville.
Miller had a short stint during the spring of 2019 at ECU as an offensive graduate assistant with the receivers and tight ends. He began his coaching career with the Dukes (2018) as a graduate assistant with the wide receivers.
As a student-athlete, Miller helped JMU to back-to-back appearances in the national championship game, which included winning the 2016 title. A first-team All-CAA punt returner in 2017, Miller scored the game-winning touchdown in 2015 at FBS foe SMU and recorded the insurance touchdown at North Dakota State in the 2016 FCS Playoff semifinals.
Miller earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from James Madison in 2018.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
James Madison University
2018: Graduate Assistant – Offense
University of Texas
2019-20: Quality Control – Offense
James Madison University
2021-23: Running Backs
Indiana University
2024-: Running Backs
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
James Madison University
2014-17: Wide Receiver
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