Charlotte has parted ways with football strength and conditioning director Jake Miller, sources shared with FootballScoop. Miller is expected to be paid out the remainder of his contract.
Miller, who was among the higher-paid members of the support staff at an annual salary of roughly $196,000 (third behind the coordinators under head coach Tim Albin), had a long history of coaching with Albin. Miller and Albin had worked together extensively at Ohio. Multiple indications around the departure suggest the decision originated outside Albin’s immediate circle, rather than as a pure coaching-staff choice.
Sources tell FootballScoop assistant strength coach Ben Gilkey is currently tasked with leading the program.
The move ends a reunion that began when Albin hired Miller in December 2024. Miller had previously served as Director of Strength and Conditioning at Ohio during Albin’s tenure as head coach there (2021–23). He arrived in Charlotte after a year at UCLA, where he worked primarily with the offensive and defensive line groups as an assistant director of football performance. Albin had publicly described the head strength coach role as critical for physical development and culture when announcing the hire.
The timing comes during a difficult stretch for the program. Albin is in his second season at Charlotte after a 1-11 debut in 2025. The 49ers are 0-6 so far in 2026 (including a 59-8 homecoming loss to Memphis and a 50-10 road loss at North Texas) and sit near the bottom of the American Conference. Athletic director Kevin White, who arrived from Clemson earlier in 2026, has overseen the department during this period.
Neither the university nor the football program has issued a formal public statement on Miller’s departure. Agent 49, who covers Charlotte football, first tweeted about the change.
In coaching circles, mid-season or in-season staff changes of this type at the strength-and-conditioning level are relatively uncommon for a coach and head strength coach with a multi-year prior working relationship, which has fueled the sense among sources that higher-level input played a role.
Miller’s background also includes previous stops at Arkansas State (where he led performance programming across multiple sports), SMU, Baylor, and other programs. He holds certifications from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Now under Gilkey's leadership in the weight room, the program looks ahead to the rest of a challenging 2026 schedule that includes upcoming games against Temple, Tulane, and others.