The national success of App State Wrestling attracted a former Power Five assistant with an impressive pedigree to cross the country and join head coach JohnMark Bentley's staff.
 
After following an All-America wrestling career with four seasons in which he coached four All-Americans as an Oregon State assistant, Bentley added Ian Miller as App State's head assistant coach before the 2020-21 season.
 
In 2021, App State set a school record with seven NCAA Championships qualifiers, including five who earned a top-20 seed and one All-American in Jonathan Millner (149 pounds). With five conference champions in 2021, the Mountaineers tied NC State and Arizona State for the lead in Division I wrestling.
 
The recent success translated into a pair of App State assistants receiving opportunities to become college head coaches following a 2019-20 season in which the Mountaineers (9-3 overall) had a school-record six NCAA qualifiers, led the nation with four dual meet shutouts and were one of only three Division I teams with at least four conference champions.
 
With three top-six NCAA finishes, Miller earned All-America recognition three times while wrestling at Kent State from 2011-16. He was also a University Nationals freestyle champion in both 2012 and 2014, when he was named the event's most outstanding wrestler.
 
Working as a Pac-12 assistant at Oregon State from 2016-20, Miller helped coach 10 conference champions and 14 NCAA qualifiers, with four of those claiming All-America status. The Beavers finished the 2018-19 and 2017-18 seasons ranked in the top 25 by several publications.
 
Miller graduated from Kent State with a Bachelor of Science in Human Movement and a minor in Athletic Coaching. He wrestled at 149 pounds and 157 pounds as a four-time national qualifier, highlighted by a fourth-place finish as a sophomore in 2014.
 
The only Kent State wrestler with three top-six NCAA finishes, Miller ranks third in school history with 138 career wins and fourth with 36 career pins. He was named the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2012 and the Kent State University Male Athlete of the Year in 2015 before closing his career with a third straight MAC title in 2016.
 
His championship runs at the University Nationals in 2012 and 2014 occurred in the 70- and 74-kilogram weight classes.
 
The native of Oak Harbor, Ohio, won a Division II high school state championship as a junior, was the runner-up as a senior and placed third as a sophomore.