Steven Miller, an assistant strength coach and former Sun Devils player, died Wednesday at age 29
Arizona State football is grieving the sudden loss of one of its own. Steven Miller, an assistant strength coach who had once walked the same sidelines as a player, died Wednesday night at the age of 29. The university confirmed his passing and immediately canceled Thursday’s spring practice, a quiet but telling acknowledgment of just how deeply his presence had been woven into the fabric of the program.
Miller had experienced a medical incident after practice on April 7, missed two sessions while recovering and had returned to the field approximately a week later. He was known to have been living with epilepsy, though the official cause of death had not been confirmed at the time of publication.
From Sun Devil player to Sun Devil coach
Miller’s connection to Arizona State spanned nearly a decade, beginning when he arrived as a freshman in 2015. He redshirted that first year before growing into a dependable presence on the offensive line, ultimately appearing in 49 games and starting 35 of them at both tackle and guard positions. His career as a player concluded at the 2019 Sun Bowl, where the Sun Devils defeated Florida State.
After his playing days ended, Miller pursued coaching. He worked as a graduate assistant at Louisiana Lafayette under Billy Napier and later spent time at the University of Florida before finding his way back to Tempe. Roughly three years ago, he rejoined the Arizona State staff under head coach Kenny Dillingham at Mountain America Stadium, this time as an assistant strength coach.
That arc, from homegrown recruit to trusted staff member, gave Miller a rare kind of standing inside the program. He was not someone who arrived as an outsider learning the culture. He had lived it from the inside across multiple stages of his life, and that continuity earned him a particular place in the trust of those around him.
Arizona State University assistant football strength coach Steven Miller has died at age 29, the university confirmed on Thursday, April 16.
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) April 17, 2026
A presence that extended beyond the field
Those who worked alongside Miller consistently described a person whose impact stretched well beyond his formal responsibilities. Former head coach Todd Graham remembered him as someone who loved being a Sun Devil and who regularly stayed after events to sign autographs and take pictures with young fans, the kind of small gestures that tend to define how people are actually remembered long after the wins and losses fade.
Head coach Kenny Dillingham reflected on the loss in deeply personal terms, saying Miller had a joy for people that was unmatched and that he touched many lives during his time with the program. The university’s statement on social media was brief but clear in its weight, extending thoughts to everyone who knew and loved him as the Sun Devil football family absorbed the news.
What his loss means for the program
The decision to cancel spring practice was both a logistical response and a human one. Football programs operate on precision and routine, but a sudden loss at this scale does not leave room for business as usual. Miller’s role touched multiple corners of the program at once. As a former player, he shared the experience of competing in Sun Devil colors. As a strength coach, he was part of the daily physical preparation that underpins everything a team does on the field.
His death is a reminder that the people who make college football programs function are not simply names on a staff directory. They carry relationships, history and a sense of belonging that cannot easily be replaced. For Arizona State, the immediate loss is a young coach who had given a significant part of his life to a single institution. The deeper loss is the particular kind of continuity that only someone like Miller could provide.
The program now turns its attention to honoring his memory while supporting his family, teammates and the staff members who knew him best.