Bruce Miller Is Back in the NFL with the Jaguars

Former UCF Knight defensive lineman Bruce Miller is reportedly back in the NFL for the first time since 2015, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the news on Saturday:

In his time at UCF from 2007-2010, Miller became one of the greatest defensive players in UCF Knights history. The 6-2 defensive end recorded 35.5 sacks as a Knight in four seasons, including 13 in 2009, which led Conference USA, and won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in C-USA in 2009 and 2010. He’s the only UCF Knight to ever do that.

Miller was with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2015, reaching the Super Bowl with them in his second season. When he arrived in San Francisco, Miller converted to fullback, and emerged as one of the best fullbacks in the NFL, blocking for Frank Gore, and catching 76 passes over five seasons, with three touchdowns (plus a rushing TD). He moved to tight end for the 2015 season when Chip Kelly came to San Francisco.

But Miller’s career started to derail in March of 2015 when he was arrested on suspicion of domestic assault for shoving his then-fiancee and smashing her cell phone. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a four-month-long anti-domestic violence course.

Then, in September of 2016, Miller was arrested again for assaulting a 70-year-old man and his son when Miller, who was drunk at the time, tried to enter the wrong hotel room at a Marriott in Fisherman’s Wharf. He was charged with seven felonies and a misdemeanor.

The 49ers immediately released him on September 2nd. Miller pleaded not guilty that November and all of the charges were eventually dropped, but nobody picked him up and he hasn’t played football since.

Now 33, Miller comes to the Jaguars courtesy of the Jags’ Director of Player Personnel Trent Baalke, who drafted Miller in 2011 out of UCF when he was the 49ers GM, and helped build the Niners into a Super Bowl contender.

Doug Marrone, the head coach of the Jaguars, is also connected with Miller, as Marrone played under George O’Leary at Syracuse in the 1980s, and Miller played for O’Leary at UCF.

Should Miller make the team as a fullback, he would block for Leonard Fournette. COnnor Slomka, a rookie out of Army, was the only FB on the Jaguars’ roster, but was released to make room for Miller.

Jacksonville’s opener is currently slated for September 13th at home against Indianapolis.