‘Can’t be a hypocrite’: Why Matt Miller left alma mater Boise State for WSU job
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- Matt Miller left a six-year Boise State stint to join Washington State staff.
- He said routine dulled growth and he sought a new professional challenge.
- Miller reunited with Kirby Moore and quickly secured six offensive transfers.
The age-old New Year’s phrase “New Year, New Me” takes on extra meaning for Matt Miller in 2026.
For some folks, it might mean going to the gym more or eating healthier. For Miller, it involves moving to a new state, taking on a whole new job, and spending most of his time on the phone calling high school football recruits and potential transfers.
“It’s like drinking out of a fire hose,” Miller told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview Monday.
Washington State announced Miller as the program’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on New Year’s Eve, bringing to a close a six-year stint coaching at Boise State, his alma mater. Head coach Spencer Danielson announced the hiring of Alvis Whitted as Miller’s replacement on Jan. 9.
The move to Pullman, Washington, reunites Miller with new Washington State head coach Kirby Moore — the pair played wide receiver together at Boise State from 2010-13, and part of that time they were catching passes from Kellen Moore, Kirby’s brother.
For a former Bronco who was moving up the coaching ladder at Boise State — he was named co-offensive coordinator in 2025 — why was now the time to depart the Treasure Valley for the Palouse, where he’ll be coaching for a new rival in the reborn Pac-12?
‘I can’t be a hypocrite’
Miller said he has never actively looked to leave a coaching position — he prefers to “be where my two feet are at.”
He left his role as offensive coordinator at FCS program Montana State in 2020 to take the wide receivers coaching position at Boise State. Miller said at the time that he loved his time in Bozeman, but the opportunity to return to his alma mater was too good to turn down.
He holds the Boise State program record for total receptions (244), and also ranks third in total receiving yards (3,049).
“It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Miller said at the time — a similar sentiment that led to his departure this time.
Miller told the Statesman that he entered the offseason not expecting to be coaching anywhere else in 2026. But he also said he was starting to feel that he wasn’t challenging himself personally or professionally.
“We were in Boise for a long time,” Miller said about himself and his family. “I knew what grocery store I was going to, I knew where to go to dinner, I knew which roads to take, I was very comfortable.”
Miller said he’s always emphasized to his players the importance of getting out of their comfort zones and being the best version of themselves possible.
So when Jimmy Rogers left his head coaching job at Washington State after one year to take the top gig at Iowa State, the dominoes began to fall. Kirby Moore left his job as offensive coordinator at Missouri to return to his home state and coach the Cougars.
When Moore reached out to Miller about the offensive coordinator position, he found it difficult to turn it down.
“We want to take that plunge and get out of our comfort zone so we can be the best versions of ourselves, too,” Miller said. “It’s the same thing we preach to our guys, and I can’t be a hypocrite, saying to do that when I’m not doing the same thing myself.”
With the two-week winter transfer portal just days from opening when Washington State announced Miller had joined its staff, the 34-year-old coach was quick to make the move to Pullman, which is just about 8 miles from the Idaho state line.
Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of learning his new team and working on transfer portal recruits. The Cougars have brought in six offensive transfers so far, including three receivers and UC Davis quarterback Caden Pinnock, who was the Big Sky freshman of the year in 2025.
Miller is still in the process of finding a new home for the family, while his wife and two children remain in Boise.
“I should probably call Verizon to get my call log. I do know one thing, I need to call my wife more probably,” said Miller, who is married to former Boise State volleyball player Sarah Baugh. “She’s putting up with all this stuff, and she’s managing the house right now, taking care of two crazy kids.”
