Former Steelers tight end Heath Miller is stepping into coaching.
St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia named Miller its acting head football coach for the 2024-25 school year in a release Monday, April 8.
“This is an invaluable experience for our football players to be coached by someone who has played the sport at the highest level,” said Head of School Autumn Graves. “And while many will focus on his impressive stats as one of the Steelers’ most renowned players, I know what is most meaningful to Heath as a parent at our School is that he will have the opportunity to model excellent leadership, teamwork, and character development for the future generation.”
According to the school, Miller will replace Joe Sandoe, who led the team to a 6-3 season in 2023.
Heath Miller’s Football Journey Continues
Miller retired from the NFL in 2016 after a prolific 11-year career with the Steelers which saw him become the greatest tight end in team history.
He leads all Steelers’ tight ends in receptions, yards and touchdowns. His career included two Super Bowl championships and two Pro Bowl selections.
Since his retirement, Miller and his family settled in Virginia, where Miller will begin his coaching career.
According to the school, Miller’s four children attend St. Anne’s-Belfield. He and his wife are described as having “strong ties to the community” as University of Virginia graduates.
“I’m looking forward to leading the Saints Football program for the 2024 season,” Miller said in a statement. “I hope to build off of the solid foundation that Coach Sandoe has worked tirelessly to build. It’s my goal to field a team that models the proper values on the field and off.”
Miller has appeared to maintain a relationship with the Steelers organization since his retirement.
When the team drafted tight end Pat Freiermuth in 2021, Miller welcomed him to the team with a video message posted to the team’s social media accounts.
Miller was also inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor in November 2022.
“Being a Steeler meant something to me because of the legacy that was created by the men who came before me and the legacy that was upheld by my teammates,” Miller said at his Hall of Honor induction, via the team’s YouTube channel.
Steelers Enter 2024 With a Full Tight End Room
In the first years following Miller’s retirement in 2016, the Steelers saw a revolving door of tight ends.
Jesse James, who the Steelers drafted in 2015, was the most consistent figure. He played four seasons with the Steelers before leaving in free agency following the 2018 season.
Players like Vance McDonald, Zach Gentry, Nick Vannett and Eric Ebron also made brief stops in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers drafted Freiermuth in 2021 in the hopes of finding a long-term solution at tight end.
In his first three seasons as a Steeler, he appeared in 44 games and caught 155 passes for 1,537 yards and 11 touchdowns. He spent a portion of the 2023 season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Now entering the final year of his contract, Freiermuth is up for an extension. In a Steelers mailbag on January 24, Post-Gazette Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac wrote he believes Freiermuth will get an extension before the 2024 season begins.
The Steelers also added to their tight end group in 2022 with the addition of Connor Heyward and in 2023 with Darnell Washington.
It appears the team will go into training camp with three tight ends after signing MyCole Pruitt on April 5. This will be Pruitt’s third stop with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Pruitt played under Smith in both Tennessee and Atlanta.
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Steelers Great Heath Miller Lands High School Head Coaching Job