Report: Les Miles era nearing its end at LSU, hefty buyout not an issue
The flurry of recent reports linking LSU nearing its decision on the future of Les Miles continued Sunday as NOLA.com’s James Smith said the Tigers are ready to move on, according to Tiger Athletic Foundation board members.
The major obstacle — the $17 million buyout owed to Miles and his staff — is not an issue, according to a “highly ranked source involved with the decision-making process.”
Following Saturday’s loss at Ole Miss, Miles declined to comment on his future at the program but did say he planned on talking to his players on Monday to clear up any questions they may have.
Smith’s sources say that Miles met with LSU officials last week to discuss the end game.
The unranked Tigers (7-3) have lost three straight since debuting at No. 2 in the initial College Football Playoff Poll during the first week of November. LSU finished 8-5 last season, strengthening the administration’s displeasure with Miles.
Smith’s full report can be read, here.
I honestly can’t believe this is even a conversation. This coach is one of the best coaches in America and has only lost 3 games this year. If you get fired, please come to South Carolina.
Seriously!!! We will take him!!! If they are that stupid our Gamecocks will GLADLY accept him!! Just think about the legendary line of coached we’ve had! Holtz, Spurrier,…. Miles??!!! I’m getting excited about this. Please fire him LSU. Go Cocks!
you guys obviously dont understand coaching. lsu has the talent to be in national championship contention almost every year. we have more players in the nfl than any other school. any coach could win here.
watch the games. he is a terrible game manager, and terrible at making necessary adjustments. he is NOT a good coach. he is likable, and a good recruiter, but that is not enough.
Ripov, when you’re the only one who thinks you’re right, you’re probably not.
LSU fans are starting to sound like Georgia fans.
Yea right buddy. No coach at LSU ever had back to back 10 win seasons until……wait for it……Les Miles. If any coach could win at a place like LSU, teams like Florida and Alabama and Auburn wouldn’t have stretches of absolute terrible play. And LSU would’ve been relevant loooooong before Nicky showed up.
Proguy28, it was just last season that the entirety of your fanbase was calling for Muschamps head. Your trash talk is comical seeing as your program was never relevant until the early 90’s. You should make sure your coach actually has your program back on track instead of worrying about the dawgs. Muschamp started fast with the gators and we all know how that ended.
OM fan here and I think ya’ll are just crazy, but we will happy to take all your recruits that jump ship !
That and LSu had a OSU type schedule, so what did you expect – now that you know LSu was over-rated.
Is it Miles fault with a young team or the dumb LSu fans that can’t read and understand their schedule was nothing, but cupcakes til the end of it – then they still expect a National Championship.
The entire team sucks except for Fournette. LMAO. This guy thinks LSU is a national championship caliber team. That’s funny.
lsu fans dont make any decisions about who the coach is, and im sure some nitwits watching games on saturday in their recliners know more than the lsu AD and boosters who are seriously considering firing him. you know, the people whos job it is to hire and fire coaches, whos lives revolve around lsu football. yeah, you guys know more than them. idiots.
im sure theyll call you guys in for your expert advice when its time to make the decision.
You obviously don’t have a clue period. Miles is a great game day coach. Which is shown by the fact he’s won more than anyone else in the country over the last 11 years while playing 21 more ranked games than the next team on the list. The fact he’s put the most in the NFL shows he coaches kids up also. He’s beaten Saban more than any other coach. It takes the coach, the talent, the assistants, and some luck. Look at Bama they’ve had all of that and still have only won what 3 in this span? LSU hasn’t had the top assistants like Saban has, LSU recruited great QB’s that haven’t always worked out. Miles is on his 5th OC. And LSU finally got rid of 3rd and Chavis who coast us 3 wins vs Bama with end of the game drives Bama scored on. If he wasn’t able to be a good in game coach he wouldn’t have had the success with things like this against him. He absolutely wouldn’t have beaten bama like he has without a great offense, yet he’s done that. This year they are the youngest team in the SEC and it’s shown. He’s stolen away from Bama two of their top three recruiters from them last year and LSU is sitting on the #1 class for 2016 while Bama has dropped to 6th and is losing 19 starters. LSU is poised to win it next year. Cut Miles now and all that goes away for sure for 2016.
again, im sure you know more than the AD and the boosters. im guessing your on their rolodex and theyll be calling you shortly to get your opinion. lol
i actually think theyll let him have one more year, and when lsu plays sloppy all year, lacks focus, and finally implodes…again, hes gone.
Ripov nailed it… Les is a nice man, terrible coach. On a per capital basis the State of Louisiana produces more NFL talent than another other state and by a longshot too. Bamacoastie – Look inside your beloved Crimson Tide and see all the Louisiana five star recruits you get. Les cannot develop a QB or much of any other talent for that matter. Watch the interviews with former Tigers as they return to Baton Rouge on NFL bye weeks and listen to them talk about the difference in playing in the NFL vs. the SEC. It ALWAYS comes down to the coaching and game day prep, not the speed, not the strength, its the coaching and strategy that they always say is the difference. All because they don’t get that from Les. Look at Danielle Hunter at the Vikings. He was a three year player at LSU, two year starter. The Vikings comment about him was how excited they were to him so late in the draft because he’s a raw talented physical specimen but was totally un-coached. At no point in his college career had he been coached on any of the basic pass rushing moves and techniques, he accomplished everything just from being purely physical and out muscling the offensive line. Now with some coaching he’s a beast. Thats all on Les. He just doesn’t cut it.
30014, how many national championships has Georgia won since Florida became “relevant”? I’ll answer that for you..NONE
What has that legendary line of coaches done for you? Go ahead and add Miles to that “legendary” list… he’ll be just another legendary coach that couldn’t get the cocks out of the cellar…
I seem to remember Spurrier’s USC teams winning 11 games, three seasons in a row. I’m not a South Carolina fan by any stretch, but it is absurd to forget what happened just a few short years ago.
I would say Spurrier got us out of the cellar, but he helped put us back there so what do I know?
I’d bet that both SC and UGA have already started talking to his agent. I think he’d best fit at SC, though. The question is whether they can pay him enough.
This is not a shocker…I said this was likely before the season started. I think it’s a lot deeper than wins and losses. Something weird about the way Chief left made me unsure of the situation.
I agree – losing Chavis was a not good for Miles’ tenure…
The Chief left because he got sick of his defense having to bail out Les’ lack of offense. For years Chavis’ D would play 45 minutes of a 60 minute game. Without Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu Les probably would have been gone years ago and none of you jaw droppers over Les would be crying about it. Les is trying to revive the Bo Schembechler model of offense and it’s just not working.
3rd and Chavis left because of Alleva, he and Miles are still great friends and both have said it publicly.
UGA may want him.
I think it would be pretty stupid. Good Coach and Great Recruiter. Biggest mistake since they fired Charlie Mac and I am not an LSU fan
If they fire Miles the program will fall dramatically
Which is fine with me because LSU fans are awful
LSU can fail dramatically and still be a notch up on UK…
signed, one of them awful LSU fans… jaja
LSU does draw good player talent, but they will take a step backward in replacing Les. He may not be top notch, but the replacement choices won’t equal what he’s done.
As far a replacements not being as good, there’s literally no way to know whether that’s true or not before it happens.
Auburn might want him. He did real well after Saban built lSU back up. He’ll do well somewhere..
LSU fans must come to grip with the fact that LSU is a local/regional football program. Huge in the state of Lousiana, but not much outside that area. Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, Southern Cal – are National Powerhouse programs. LSU will never measure up…Miles or no Miles.
Eh, bollocks. While I’ll admit their fans tend on to be too “passionate”, and that does give them a bad reputation, their talent, especially against non-conference teams, is undeniable. They consistently have some of the best recruiting, and when the coaching gears align they are unstoppable. The SEC in general just doesn’t consider the rest of the conferences as competition, and after looking through the records I’m inclined to understand why.
Remind me just when LSU has ever been “unstoppable”. Just when there was no question that LSU was the best football program in the SEC. They won a National championship in 2003, but took a back seat to Auburn the very next season. They won another one in 2007 (albeit with 2 losses), but again, they weren’t regarded as the best program in the SEC at the time (Florida was defending national champions, and would reclaim the title in 2008). 2011 is the season LSU fans like to delude themselves into thinking should be the norm around there, even though they can’t point to any other seasons like it. 8-5 to 10-3 is the real norm at LSU. They are a nice program, but not an elite one.
and thats because of coaching. how many times do i have to say it? more players in the nfl than any other school. that means we have the most talent. our mediocrity is because of coaching.
what college has the most players in the nfl again? ill wait.
I’ll tell you right now my Dallas Cowboys have benefited from LSU players, and they still do. You’ve been posting a lot on this thread, so I’ll ask you about this. From family that went to LSU and are diehard fans, some of them being boosters, we talk football a lot. Evidently at the end of several seasons, not all in a row, they mention there’s talk from a lot of people down there about wanting him gone. It’s been several seasons ago that they said someone even rented a uhaul and had it parked in front of his house either at the end or beginning of one season, can’t remember which. So, do you have any idea if this is a buildup of enough people becoming unhappy with his performance or is it something more recent?
its recent. i know some boosters and theyve made their disgruntlement known, but the real power is with the big-money boosters. theyre awfully quiet. the press and rumors have never even approached this level of criticism. when you have 40 thousand fans walk out of a game and you are only down by 10 in the 3rd quarter, there is going to be serious concern by boosters and the AD. when your team implodes from a no. 2 ranking to out of the top 25 in 3 weeks, there is serious concern. he hasnt made many adjustments in the offense in 5 years. unless we get blown out against tamu and lose a bowl game, i think theyll give him another year because of a combination of it being expensive to buy him out and there not being anyone readily available to replace him. i kind of think part of why theyre remaining silent is so he feels the pressure. something needs to shake him up enough to get some changes made, drastic ones.
yep. nailed it.
Not long ago, when Michigan was going through a down period and there were rumors that Michigan might try to lure him back, I was opposed to the idea. Like so many people, I thought Miles was one of the best. I thought maybe LSU just needs to reload. Since the 2011 National Championship debacle, it’s become more and more apparent that his style does not lend itself to winning championships. LSU is loaded with talent. Sure Miles won the NC in 2007, but what has he done since. Contrast that to Saban, who has Alabama in contention every year. No. I’m tired of Les Miles stepping up to the mike at the post-game presser and saying, “This one’s on me” and nothing changes. Well, this LSU fan is ready to stop watching LSU games until Miles is out. I know what to expect as long as he’s there. And it’s embarrassing. (And I won’t cry for him. He’s made many more millions than I’ll ever see.)
You really hit the nail on the head here: Trying to compare Miles and LSU to Saban and Alabama. You’re right; LSU isn’t in national championship contention each and every year, like Alabama is. But there is only one Alabama. ONLY Alabama has been in national championship contention (with the exception of 2010, in which they went a strong 10-3) every year. Ohio State isn’t. Michigan isn’t. Notre Dame isn’t. Florida State…nope, USC and Texas …please. LSU has been the second most consistent SEC power in the last decade or so, and Mile’s recruiting is a BIG reason for that.
Les got lucky in 2007. Dont forget he played lowly Kentucky and Arky to triple overtime losses and it took late seasons losses by WVA and Penn State to pole vault 9-2 LSU into the BCS title game. Les SUX.
Miami will go after him hard
He has no motivation to continue coaching. Doesn’t LSU have to pay his salary even if he sits on his rear and does nothing?
This would be a disastrous move for LSU. Lose recruits, lose games, lose momentum.
The team must have voted him out.
It would seem an over inflated ego is writing checks at LSU. Miles is the only reason y’all have not reached the bottom of the SEC. Same position UGA is in. Listening to too much hype about talent.
Prediction – LSU fires Miles and fails to have a 8 win team in the next 5 years.
when you have more players in the nfl than any other college (40), saying your team is know for its talent isnt hype, its reality. what has les done with all that talent? squandered it, thats what.
LSU should simply let Cam Cameron depart (his contract is up), hire someone that understands a modern passing game, and give Miles at least one more season. Their roster is loaded with talented sophomores that Miles recruited. He has the #1 rated recruiting class at the moment. I HOPE they are stupid enough to fire him, because you can kiss all that good bye when they do. There is no Jim Harbaugh 5 star coaching prospect to be had this year. Jimbo Fisher? Why would he leave Florida State (and the joke that is the ACC) for the SEC west and a fan base that expects him to beat Alabama every year?
Also, there are a LOT of vacancies out there looking to hire a new coach, while others are trying to hold on to the good ones – there is no “magic bullet” coach that is going to go into LSU and suddenly win SEC and National titles. The odds are pretty good you will be be getting a Kiffin or Muschamp and regret it. One more year would be a good idea, give him the dreaded AD “Vote of confidence” before getting out the hook.
Yes there are a lot of vacancies out there and NONE of them are stepping up saying they want Les Miles. Les is never in the conversation from any NFL team looking for a coach, NEVER. They know how he is and unless you watch a lot of LSU games and follow LSU players in the pros you wouldn’t know that he doesn’t really coach much beyond the very basics.
theyll give him another year, mainly because a replacement would be hard to find, unless we get embarrassed by tamu and lose a bowl game. hes gone if he does that.
30014, Is that really a Georgia fan chiming in about the last time a program was relevant? Look in the mirror. And as far as Muschamp goes, calling for his head was long overdue. He had 1 good season and took the offense and returned it to the dark ages! But what do you expect when you let a Bulldog run the Florida Football Program?
If they are foolish enough to part ways with Miles I’d like to see him replace Sumlin and haunt LSU for another 10 years.
I would LOVE that.
I’d love that too, and watch TAMU spiral out of control. Suddenly that high flying passing game is traded in for the Bo Schembechler 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense. LOVE IT! Please send Les to TAMU!
Firing Les Miles would be great
for every other team in the SEC.
Good luck finding someone to replace him that can even come close to his record it wont happen. Les is an incredible coach hes just had a few down seasons the last few years (if you can call 3 losses a down season). I would love to have him here. Anyone is a better play caller than Bert.
Absolutely great for my Dogs. The rumor mill is going about Mullen too. I’d like to get in line for Les if LSU lets him go and Mullen bolts for VTech.
I wouldn’t take him now…maybe 8-10 years ago. It’s easy to recruit at LSU because it’s the only show in town. My question is who would you get? This looks a lot like when Tenn fired Fulmer…that’s worked out great for them.
I don’t get all the falling back on the supposed knowledge of the boosters. Boosters — everywhere — are notorious for having more money than sense. So there’s that.