Sam Mills III facts for kids
Mills III with the Washington Football Team in 2021
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|
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Defensive line coach |
| Team | UAB |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | May 20, 1978 Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1997-1999 | Montclair State |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2005 | Carolina Panthers (Strength & conditioning/Defensive assistant) |
| 2006-2010 | Carolina Panthers (Defensive quality control) |
| 2011-2017 | Carolina Panthers (Assistant defensive line) |
| 2018 | Carolina Panthers (Defensive line) |
| 2019 | Carolina Panthers (Defensive line & game management) |
| 2020-2022 | Washington Football Team / Washington Commanders (Defensive line) |
| 2023 | Montclair High School (Volunteer assistant) |
| 2025-present | UAB (Defensive line) |
Samuel Davis Mills III (born May 20, 1978) is an American football coach. He currently coaches the defensive line for the UAB Blazers. He has also coached for NFL teams like the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders. Sam Mills III is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Sam Mills.
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Coaching Football Teams
Sam Mills III has spent many years coaching football. He helps players on the defensive line. These players try to stop the other team from scoring.
Coaching the Carolina Panthers
Mills started his coaching career with the Carolina Panthers in 2005. He first worked as a strength and conditioning coach. This means he helped players get stronger and fitter. He was also a defensive assistant.
In 2006, he became a defensive quality control coach. This role involves studying game videos and helping the team improve. Later, in 2011, he was promoted to assistant defensive line coach. He helped coach the players who rush the quarterback.
In December 2018, Mills became the main defensive line coach for the Panthers. He also helped coach in special college football games. He was the head coach for the East team in the 2019 East-West Shrine Bowl.
In 2019, the Panthers gave him more responsibilities. He became the defensive line and game management coach. This meant he helped the head coach with things like managing the game clock. He also helped with decisions about instant replays. Mills left the Panthers in 2020.
Coaching the Washington Commanders
In January 2020, Mills joined the Washington Commanders. He became their defensive line coach. He worked with his former head coach, Ron Rivera, again. Mills coached the Commanders until August 2022.
Coaching the UAB Blazers
After leaving the Commanders, Mills spent 2023 coaching high school football. He was a volunteer assistant coach at Montclair High School in New Jersey. In 2024, he worked for a company that studies football data.
On February 26, 2025, Sam Mills III became the defensive line coach for the UAB Blazers. At UAB, he joined coaches he had worked with before. These included defensive coordinator Steve Russ and linebackers coach Brent Vieselmeyer.
About His Life
Sam Mills III's father is Sam Mills, a famous football player. His dad was a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
When Sam Mills III was in high school, he was a talented player. Big colleges like Nebraska and Penn State wanted him to play for them. However, he hurt his leg playing basketball. This injury made him miss his last year of high school football.
He then decided to play defensive back for Montclair State University. This was his father's old college. When he was a teenager, Sam Mills III also worked for the Carolina Panthers. He helped with the team's equipment.
