IMG Academy Has Begun Its Search for Billy Miller’s Replacement as Head Football Coach

Miller, who has led the Florida national powerhouse since 2022, is rumored to be joining Bill Belichick's coaching staff at the University of North Carolina
IMG Academy has begun its search to replace head football coach Bill Miller, who has stepped down to reportedly join the staff of Bill Belichick at the University of North Carolina.
IMG Academy has begun its search to replace head football coach Bill Miller, who has stepped down to reportedly join the staff of Bill Belichick at the University of North Carolina. / Tyler Hart

One of the most coveted high school football jobs in the country is open.

IMG Academy has confirmed that Billy Miller has stepped down as the head coach of its national football team and Miller is rumored to be joing the staff of Bill Belichick at the University of North Carolina. On Friday, the official search for IMG Academy's next national head football began.

IMG Academy, in the 'Careers' tab portion of its website, has posted the opening of the national team's head football coaching position. The posting was made on Friday, January 17th, 2025.

Miller has been with the Ascenders since 2014, with IMG Academy having only lost seven games during that stretch. Since 2022, Miller has been the head coach and compiled an overall record of 25-3 over three seasons.

"Billy Miller has resigned from his position as IMG Academy National Football Team Head Coach to pursue other opportunities," said a statement from Kyle Brey, IMG Academy's Director of Football Operations. "Since 2014, Coach Miller has been an integral part of our football program, serving in various roles. In his tenure as head coach, he led our national team to a 25-3 record, including a national championship last season. While we will greatly miss his leadership and the impact he has made on our student-athletes, we remain confident in our program’s strong foundation of leadership, coaches, and support staff, who will continue to uphold the highest standards of student-athlete development.

"The national football team head coach position at IMG Academy is the premier high school football coaching job in the nation, and we expect significant interest from top candidates as we work to have a new head coach in place by this spring."

During the 2024 campaign, IMG Academy lost two games, to Corner Canyon (Utah) and St. Frances Academy (Maryland), equaling the most losses by the Ascenders' national team since 2013. The only other loss was against Miami Central in 2022.

It wouldn't be the first time Belichick has tried to lure Miller, as the former IMG coach was in the NFL before with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the legendary New England Patriots' lead man tried to bring him to Foxborough to coach special teams. Miller was offered the head coaching job at IMG Academy, which nixed him coaching for Belichick the first time around.

According to 247Sports, Miller coached under Greg Schiano at Rutgers from 2009-2012 as the special teams assistant coach. After that period, Miller went with Schiano to coach under him when the latter was the Buccaneers' head coach.

Though no official designation or announcement has been made on what Miller's role would or will be with the Tar Heels, many believe it could be on special teams because of his experience on that side of the ball.

Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) senior place kicker Guytano Bartolomeo announced his commitment to North Carolina on Tuesday evening, thanking specifically Belichick and Miller, respectively.


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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.