Longtime assistant Ben Miller is leaving Air Force for a position with Illinois, the Big Ten program announced Sunday.

Ben Miller had been a mainstay at Air Force as an all-conference player, assistant under coach Troy Calhoun since his arrival in 2007 and even through marriage.

Miller will coach tight ends with the Illini. He spent the 2006 season as a graduate assistant at Illinois.

He is the second coach with Falcons ties to join the staff under new coach Bret Bielema. Former Air Force tight ends coach Bart Miller was announced as Illinois’ offensive line coach on Dec. 29.

An all-Mountain West left tackle for Air Force prior to his 2002 graduation, Ben Miller then returned to the academy as a graduate assistant for the 2002 season under coach Fisher DeBerry. He joined the Cleveland Browns as a fullback/tight end/long snapper and was signed to the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Miller served at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio before transitioning to the Air Force Reserve in 2004.

A part of coach Troy Calhoun’s initial staff as the tight ends coach, Miller has spent the past 10 seasons as the special teams coordinator and nine as the running backs coach.

Miller’s departure leaves offensive coordinator Mike Thiessen and strength and conditioning coach Matt McGettigan remaining from the 2007 staff. Linebackers coach Brian Knorr was also part of that staff before leaving and returning.

Miller’s wife, Meghan, is the sister of former Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney.