Former LSU star running back Jacob Hester played for Nick Saban and won a national championship under Les Miles.

He watched his former coach endure a hellish week as rumors and sourced reports circulated about Miles’ job status.

Hester said he thrilled when LSU athletic director Joe Alleva announced Saturday night that Miles would remain the Tigers’ head coach.

“Absolutely,” Hester said in an email Sunday. “Les deserved next year. He has done a lot for the university and the state of Louisiana. His record on and off the field speaks for itself and I’m glad he’ll be rewarded by the university for it.”

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Hester, who has radio responsibilities with the Tigers football team, said he was concerned for Miles as the week wore on.

“I was, you saw all the ‘reports’ and ‘sources’ that piled up during the week, and unless you’re in the inner circle you don’t know what is true and what is false,” he said. “I know the university has a policy to not talk about jobs during the season, but Les was out there floating in the air for over a week and I don’t think he deserved that.”

Anthony “Booger” McFarland, also a former LSU star, has frequently noted how the program has slipped in the past five years and has criticized Miles’ inability to reinvent the offense.

Those criticisms, both valid, fueled speculation that Miles would be fired.

Miles, on Saturday night, said changes are necessary on offense.

Hester agreed with McFarland, but also agreed with Miles that a massive overhaul would be a mistake.

“They are fair, but I don’t think the word ‘massive’ overhaul needs to be used,” Hester said. “You do have the second-leading rusher in college football (Leonard Fournette), and he only played 11 games. So you still keep the run-first mentality, but I do agree with Booger that LSU needs more consistent play at the QB position.

“If Brandon Harris is your guy, then do what he does best.

“Leonard Fournette is going to get his yards no matter what, so maybe you bring in a passing game coordinator who can really help you with the spread passing principals that have eluded the Tigers.

“They have spread QBs on their roster, so you have to play to their strengths or you go recruit a kid built like Philip Rivers and make him the best Pro Style QB in CFB.

“LSU is going to be a much improved team next year, and that saying a lot for a team that was 8-3 in the SEC West on a ‘rebuilding’ year.”