re: OC and OL coach search....

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Mason Miller

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At Mississippi State, Miller coached left tackle Charles Cross for two seasons before Cross was selected No. 9 overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Cross earned both first team All-America and first team All-SEC honors during his final season in Starkville. He was the SEC's top pass-blocker with an 84.9 grade from PFF and did not allow a sack on the year. After Cross was drafted ninth overall, Leach and Miller became one of three head coach and offensive line coach tandems with a first-round offensive lineman selected in two of the last four NFL Drafts. Another offensive lineman coached by Miller drafted by the Seahawks in 2022 was third-round selection Abe Lucas, who played under Miller at Washington State. Cross and Lucas were the Seahawks starters at the tackle positions during the 2022 season.

Over Miller's second and third seasons with the Bulldogs, his unit ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 15 in the FBS in offensive line efficiency, according to Coaches by the Numbers. MSU led the SEC and ranked No. 3 in the FBS in lowest percentage of tackles for loss allowed during that span.

Miller’s offensive line unit allowed the fewest sacks in the Pac-12 during each of his two seasons at Washington State (20 in 2019, 13 in 2018). Under Miller’s guidance in 2019, sophomore offensive tackle Abe Lucas earned All-Pac-12 second team honors and finished as the third-highest graded offensive lineman in the conference at 84.5 according to Pro Football Focus. Offensive guard Josh Watson also earned postseason honors as an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

Miller's offensive line blocked for Will Rogers to lead the SEC in passing yards per game in 2021 and then again in 2022.

MSU center LaQuinston Sharp earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors three times during the 2022 season. Sharp became the fourth Bulldog offensive lineman in school history to earn that honor at least three times in one season.

Miller’s unit protected college football’s top passing attack in consecutive seasons as the Cougars led the nation in passing offense, averaging 437.2 yards per game. Quarterback Anthony Gordon averaged an FBS-best 429.2 passing yards per game in 2019 after Gardner Minshew II was tops nationally in 2018 with an average of 367.6 passing yards per game. The Cougars allowed only 20 sacks in 2019 and just 13 in 2018.

In his first season with Cougars, Miller’s group developed into one of the nation’s best offensive lines and was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation’s best offensive line. In addition, three of his players earned All-Pac-12 honors. Left tackle Andre Dillard led the way earning All-Pac-12 first-team honors, and was later named to the All-America second team by SI.com. He was rated the top pass-blocking tackle in the country by PFF and was a first-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2019 NFL Draft. Dillard became the highest drafted Cougar offensive lineman in program history. Right tackle Lucas was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and later earned Freshman All-America honors by USA Today and The Athletic, while center Frederick Mauigoa earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

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