OFFICIAL RELEASE: Mason Miller to Coach Baylor Offensive Line
WACO, Texas -- Mason Miller has been added to the Baylor football coaching staff as the offensive line coach, it was announced by Coach Dave Aranda on Monday.
Miller is widely regarded as one of the elite offensive line minds in the Air Raid offensive coaching scheme, having previously served in the role for Mike Leach and Hal Mumme. He comes to Baylor after serving as the offensive coordinator at Tarleton State in 2023.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mason to our Baylor Family,” Aranda said. “Mason brings such an elite level of experience, as an offensive line coach, coordinator and head coach, and he will be an immediate asset to our staff. His experience in the state of Texas, and his deep understanding of the spread offense, will serve us greatly. We are excited to get Mason together with our student-athletes and our staff and start gearing up for the spring season.”
A native of Marietta, Ga., Miller was the offensive line coach for Leach at Mississippi State (2020-22), adding run-game coordinator duties in 2022, and Washington State (2018-19). He twice served as the offensive coordinator at Tarleton (2014-16, 2023) and boasts experience in building the Air Raid system from the ground up with Mumme at Valdosta State, Southeastern Louisiana, New Mexico State and McMurray.
Miller’s coaching record includes time as an assistant Nevada (2017), head coach (2011-12) and offensive line coach (2009-10) at McMurray, New Mexico State (2005-08), offensive line (2004) and running backs (2003) coach at Southeastern Louisiana. He got his collegiate coaching star as a student-assistant in 1997 at his alma mater Valdosta State, one of the first collegiate tests of the Air Raid system under Mumme.
“My family and I are thrilled to be part of the Baylor Family,” Miller said. “I want to thank Coach Aranda for this amazing opportunity. It is our goal to build an offensive line that we can be proud of here in Waco.”
Miller’s time with Mumme included starting the program from scratch at Southeastern Louisiana, assisting in the rebuild of New Mexico State and helping move McMurray to NCAA Division 2, before joining Leach, Mumme’s former offensive coordinator turned head coach, as his offensive line coach at Washington State and Mississippi State.
He was the primary play caller offensively at Tarleton in 2023 and boasts experience as a former head coach at McMurray after Mumme left to take the offensive coordinator job at SMU in 2013. The Tarleton role – his second tenure in Stephenville – is his third time helping lead a major transition in a football program, as Tarleton competed a four-year transition period in 2023 to reclassify as a NCAA Division I program.
He has had a hand in some of the best offenses in college football over his 25-year career and his offensive unit in 2023 ranked among the FCS leaders in points per game (13th; 33.8), while averaging 430.5 yards per game (228.7 passing and 201.7 rushing).
He has guided the best offense in the nation at Southeastern Louisiana and helped produce top-five offenses nationally from stops at Tarleton, New Mexico State and McMurray.
While directing the offensive lines at Mississippi State, Miller saw his unit rank No. 15 nationally and second in the SEC in offensive-line efficiency. The Bulldogs led the league and ranked No. 3 nationally in lowest percentage of tackles for a loss during the 2021-22 seasons. He coached eventual No. 9 overall pick Charles Cross for two seasons, helping him earn All-America and All-SEC honors as a senior with a league-leading 84.9 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. The Bulldogs led the SEC in passing yards per game in both 2021 and 2022.
While at Washington State, Miller’s offensive lines allowed the fewest sacks in the Pac-12 Conference in 2018 and 2019. Tackle Abe Lucas and guard Josh Watson earned all-conference honors. WSU led the nation in passing offense in both of his seasons, averaging 437.2 yards per game, allowing only 20 sacks in 2019 and 13 in 2018.
The 2018 offensive line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation’s best unit. Three WSU lineman were named All-Pac 12 honors including second-team All-American Andre Dillard, who earned the highest pass-blocking grade in the nation among tackles and was a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
As the offensive line coach at Nevada in 2017, the Wolfpack totaled 127.2 rushing yards and 270.4 passing yards per game. He coached a pair of offensive linemen to All-Mountain West accolades, including center Sean Krepsz, and Austin Corbett, a former walk-on who became a four-year starter at tackle and went 33rd overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
In his first stint at Tarleton, Miller’s line helped pave the way for the Texans to rank third nationally in total offense in 2014, with 522.8 yards per game, scoring 43.7 points per outing. In 2015, Tarleton averaged 38.1 points – 22nd in the nation – and 451.2 yards per contest, 36th in the nation, also checking in 23rd in completion percentage (62.5), 19th in red-zone offense (.842) and 36th in passing offense (275.0).
While serving as the head coach at McMurray in 2013, Miller led the War Hawks to several school records, including yards (5,775), yards per game (523.1) and points scored (424).
Before being appointed as the head coach, Miller was an assistant for four seasons from 2009-12 under Mumme. During that stretch, McMurry experienced three consecutive winning seasons, something that had happened just six other times in the university’s 87-year football existence. Miller was hired as the offensive line coach but was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2011.
His first season calling plays saw McMurry rank 18th nationally and second in the American Southwest Conference in scoring offense with 37.7 points per game. McMurry set the NCAA Division III single game total offense record with 863 yards vs. Texas Lutheran.
In 2012, Miller’s second season as offensive coordinator and McMurry’s first campaign at the NCAA Division II level, the War Hawks averaged more than 433 yards per game with 367 coming from the passing attack.
Miller worked with the offensive line at NM State from 2005-08 under Mumme. He coached four all-conference linemen at NM State.
He helped Mumme start the Southeastern Louisiana program from scratch and served as running backs coach in 2003 before handling offensive line duties in 2004, leading the Lions to lead the nation in total offense.
Miller opened his coaching career as a student assistant at Valdosta State, which followed a two-year playing career.
He began his full-time coaching career at Valwood High School in 1998 where, as the offensive coordinator, he helped turn around a team that went 1-19 in the previous two seasons. With Miller leading the offense, Valwood High School earned a playoff berth in 1998 and a state championship in 1999. Miller’s offense was the state of Georgia’s top-ranked offense in 1999.
A 1999 graduate of Valdosta State, Miller and his wife Megan have two daughters Madison and Mallory.
Miller File
2024: Assistant Coach/Offensive Line – Baylor
2023: Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends – Tarleton
2022: Run-Game Coordinator/Offensive Line – Mississippi State
2020-21: Assistant Coach/Offensive Line – Mississippi State
2018-19: Assistant Coach/Offensive Line – Washington State
2017: Assistant Coach/Offensive Line – Nevada
2014-16: Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line – Tarleton
2013: Head Coach – McMurray
2011-12: Offensive Coordinator - McMurray
2009-10: Assistant Coach/Offensive Line - McMurray
2005-08: Assistant Coach/Offensive Line – New Mexico State
2004: Assistant Coach/Offensive Line – Southeastern Louisiana
2003: Assistant Coach/Running Backs – Southeastern Louisiana
2000: Assistant Coach – Washington & Lee
1998-99: Offensive Coordinator – Valwood [Ga.] High School
1997: Student Assistant Coach – Valdosta State (under Mike Kelly)