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Report: Nevada’s Mason Miller hired as Washington State offensive line coach

Nevada offensive line coach Mason Miller has reportedly accepted the same position at Washington State. (Nevada Athletics)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584
Nevada offensive line coach Mason Miller has reportedly accepted the same position at Washington State. (Nevada Athletics)

PULLMAN – An offensive line coach with a strong Air Raid background is reportedly coming to Washington State to join Mike Leach’s staff.

Mason Miller, the current offensive line coach at Nevada, has accepted a position to coach the same group for the Cougars, FootballScoop.com reported Sunday. Miller would replace Clay McGuire, who left on Wednesday to coach the offensive line at Texas Tech. McGuire had worked as Leach’s offensive line coach since the WSU coach was hired in 2012.

Miller, like McGuire, is another pupil of Leach’s who learned Air Raid schemes at a young age. He played at Division III Valdosta State under Leach, who was then an offensive coordinator for Hal Mumme, the man who’s recognized as the founder of the Air Raid.

After his playing career, Miller took an assistant job at Valdosta State and followed his former coach around the country, working under Mumme at Southeastern Louisiana, New Mexico State and McMurry University.

Most recently, Miller worked alongside Mumme’s son Matt, who just finished his first season as Jay Norvell’s offensive coordinator at Nevada. Mumme was a quarterback for his father and Leach at Kentcky. The Wolf Pack lost to the Cougars 45-7 at Martin Stadium in the fifth game of the 2017 football season.

Before joining Norvell’s staff in Reno, Miller was the offensive coordinator and associate head coach at Division II Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas. Tarleton’s offense became one of the country’s most productive under Miller. In 2014, it ranked third nationally in total offense with 534 yards per game while scoring 43 points per game. The following season, Tarleton was still scoring better than 40 ppg.

In 2017, Nevada’s offense scored 28.2 ppg and exceeded the 40-point barrier three times with 42 points against both Colorado State and Air Force, and 59 in a blowout win against San Jose State.

Miller would be Leach’s third coaching hire this offseason. The WSU coach brought Tracy Claeys aboard to replace defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who left for Ohio State, and hired Kendrick Shaver to coach the Cougar safeties after outside linebackers coach Roy Manning left for UCLA. Leach also elevated Darcel McBath to defensive assistant and is expected to fill the running backs coach vacancy, which was left by Jim Mastro’s departure to Oregon.