Stop linking former LSU coach Les Miles to Ole Miss, or any other Power 5 opening
Almost immediately upon Hugh Freeze resigning unceremoniously at Ole Miss last week, speculation began as to who might be its next coach.
Understand that the Rebels have too much of a mess on their hands right now to come up with an actual list of candidates. Best-case scenario, interim coach Matt Luke keeps the ship afloat for 2017. Maybe a long-term fix is in place for 2018.
Nevertheless, that didn’t stop media outlets from throwing names out there since clicks are to be had in the aftermath of such a bombshell story — the usual suspects, nothing more. Lane Kiffin, obviously, although he’s yet to coach his first game at FAU. Chip Kelly, naturally, because he’s mentioned for every opening.
Even Steve Spurrier got tossed into the mix. According to the Twitter hounds, he apparently expressed interest while lining up a 12-footer somewhere.
And, of course, there’s former LSU coach Les Miles. Canned by the Tigers four games into last season, he was previously linked to Baylor, Houston, Minnesota and Purdue before each ultimately went another direction.
Despite being 64 years old and having made tens of millions of dollars in his career already, the Mad Hatter has shown no desire to hang up his hat once and for all. Miles announced recently he’ll be doing some TV work this fall for multiple networks, but it’s clear he only went that route because he couldn’t get a gig on anyone’s sideline.
Miles has a better chance of being named Tom Brady’s next offensive coordinator than Mississippi’s next head coach.
Baylor didn’t want him. The Bears hired Matt Rhule. Houston didn’t want him. The Cougars hired Major Applewhite. Minnesota didn’t want him. The Golden Gophers hired P.J. Fleck. Purdue didn’t want him. The Boilermakers hired Jeff Brohm.
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Rhule (above) is 42 and won 10 games last year at Temple. Applewhite is 38 and just coordinated a Houston offense that averaged 35.8 points per game. Fleck is 36 and took Western Michigan to the Cotton Bowl only a season ago. Brohm is 46 and won 11 games in 2016 at Western Kentucky. They’re all young coaches on an upward trajectory.
Miles is an old coach on a downward spiral. There’s little reason to think he has another memorable run in him.
That’s not to take away from what Miles has accomplished. He’ll never cease to be a Bayou Bengals legend for winning a national championship in 2007, plus his colorful personality should always make him a welcome sight at Death Valley.
But LSU has never been the same after getting embarrassed by Alabama in the 2011 rematch that cost Miles a chance at a second title. Ever since, the Crimson Tide have lapped the field and are in the hunt for another ring every January. The Tigers continue to do less with more than any team in America, arguably.
Most notable, Miles lost his last six matchups with ‘Bama. His inability to compete with Nick Saban was largely responsible for his ouster.
If Miles couldn’t tame the Tide with the talent he had at his disposal with the Bayou Bengals, then he wouldn’t stand a chance coaching the Rebs. With NCAA sanctions likely on the horizon, blue-chip prospects will be going elsewhere for the foreseeable future.
One of Saban’s greatest strengths as a coach is his ability to evolve and not be so stuck on one particular way of doing things. When he first got to Tuscaloosa, he had a traditional offense that ran the ball out of pro-style sets and featured a game manager-type quarterback. His defense was predicated on size and strength.
Nowadays, he employs a spread-option scheme offensively. Jalen Hurts, still more runner than thrower as a QB, is the SEC’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year.
Saban has altered his approach on the other side of the football, too. His defenders are smaller and faster to help neutralize wide-open systems at places like, say, Ole Miss. A 345-pound Terrence Cody has been replaced by a 288-pound Jonathan Allen.
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Conversely, Miles (above) doesn’t think much of Darwinism. Even after almost getting fired at the end of the 2015 campaign, when he promised to bring his offense into the 21st century upon staying in power, it was more of the same the following September: elementary in approach, predictable in nature and increasingly easy to defend.
When Miles did hit the interview circuit the last time around, reports surfaced soon thereafter that were far from flattering.
Rhule, Applewhite, Fleck and Brohm walked in the door full of energy and proved that they were ready to take another step up the coaching ladder. Meanwhile, Miles just rambled like he tended to do with his opening comments at Media Days.
Whomever ends up coaching the Rebels for the long haul — don’t dismiss Luke, by the way, as he’s an alumnus and has generational ties to the school — will have a serious rebuild on his hands. A bowl ban for 2017 is already in place. Recruiting has taken a nosedive. The NCAA’s vultures swirl above ready to pick the carcass clean.
Miles wouldn’t be able to just show up, land a Top 10 class on National Signing Day and chew some grass on the way to a 10-win season.
When Baylor finally pulled the plug on the toxic Art Briles, it brought in former Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe to quell the storm. But like Miles, Grobe was 64 at the time and not the right choice for an overhaul. It was a one-year stewardship.
Perhaps Mississippi could’ve done something similar with Miles, handing a headset to a veteran who had nothing to do with the previous staff’s myriad indiscretions — all the while searching for a more permanent solution. However, the Rebs wasted no time elevating Luke to interim coach. In all likelihood, Miles never crossed anyone’s mind with a say in the matter.
Baylor didn’t want Miles. Neither did Houston, Minnesota or Purdue. The Rebs must look to the future, not the past.
OM had no choice but to make Matt Luke the coach. It’s not like we were going to find someone two weeks before practice starts. Whoever we go with (assuming it’s not Luke) will need time to get his own staff together and implement his own system. If this had happened months ago it would be a different story, but for now it’s just a matter of riding out the storm and seeing how the cards fall.
In other words, Ole Miss really, really screwed up by not owning this at first like grown-ups and getting it behind them?
I would be extremely surprised if a young up-and-comer wasted his step up on a crap-nasty, NCAA-sanctioned rebuild.
The only way this job has any appeal is if the NCAA stumbles over their own feet and just slaps a few extra scholarship reductions on ’em.
A second bowl ban, or anything particularly serious, will leave no chance to attract any semblance of talent needed to compete.
Assuming the NCAA does its job, this job is Matt Luke’s to lose. If not him, they’ll get someone else’s Goodwill donation coach.
When from the first inkling of trouble to now have Ole Miss fans been realistic about what is happening? A lot still defend Freeze. Pick out the best con artist who is a coach, professes to be religious and you will have the next Ole Miss coach. I said months ago that the Ole Miss reaction to this was like a religious cult. Deny and blame the messenger. Until different people are making the decisions, I’m afraid this cycle will repeat itself.
Good points, but I still believe the Mad Hatter has a few more 9+ win seasons left in him, as long as he divorces from Cam Cameron. The man can recruit and would be the only home run hire the Rebs could make at this point.
So a guy who couldn’t get the Purdue job, one of the true bottom-feeder jobs in Power 5 football, would be a “home-run hire” for Ole Miss. Got it. The man can recruit … at LSU, with every recruiting advantage known to mankind, almost none of which he’d have at Ole Miss, especially once the NCAA picks this bone clean.
Amazing how Ole Miss fans seem to be able to refuse to see reality. But then, that’s how they got in this mess, isn’t it?
The difference in the other jobs Miles didn’t get is they weren’t on probation. Ole Miss is looking for its “sanctions caretaker” coach. Their Shula, so to speak. You can do a lot worse then Les Miles in this capacity.
If Ole Miss wants to avoid falling back into the Ed Orgeron days and save some recruiting effort, then yes he would be a home run hire (for them, considering their situation).
Speaking of coach O, how’s his second chance going? That’s right. The difference between his second chance and the Mad Hatter’s is one of them brings a national championship ring to the table.
You act like hiring coaches is an exact science. Who cares what Purdue did? As you mentioned they’re a bottom feeder. Maybe they made a mistake. That does nothing to prove Miles would or wouldn’t be a good hire. Your logic fails miserably. It amazes me how far journalism has fallen. There is a click bait clown on every corner.
Miles has produced diminishing returns as his career has gone on despite an embarrassment of riches from a talent perspective. How exactly is he going to be any better at a mediocre program with far fewer advantages on the recruiting trail? Coaching is increasingly becoming a young man’s game, so an old man who refuses to evolve is likely to have his career ended for him before he has a chance to end it himself.
Disrespectful, and seriously undervalues even the tail end of the Miles tenure. Perhaps purdue couldn’t afford miles? If they are one of the worst programs in the fbs, why should we use their decision as the measuring stick? I’m not here to say miles is the guy for the om job. But. I know you can do better than cliches about the evolution of football and “outdated” offense. ’14-’16 were rough. But miles and Cameron did achieve an offense featuring 2 1,000 yard wideouts and a 1,000 yard tailback for the first time in sec history. There are a lot of things that go into beating nick saban, and if you can find someone who does it consistently call ole miss (and every other school in the country)…. Sure, ole miss did it twice with backyard football, errrr I mean a more “modern offense” (featuring passes off of defender’s helmets), but they also died thru the same shenanigans. For most programs, miles probably isnt the answer. But we dont have to throttle the guy with tired catchphrases to establish that fact.
If I’m disrespecting Miles, then so are some pretty mediocre programs. Doesn’t it say anything to you that he was desperate enough to interview for the frickin’ Purdue job? And doesn’t it say even more that God-forsaken Purdue went another direction? Is this thing on? Miles didn’t turn Purdue down. Purdue turned Miles down.
So what? That proves nothing other than the powers that be at A failing football program decided to go with an up and comer. If you got fired and couldn’t get hired by failing website would you assume your career is over and no one would or should hire you? Or would you chalk that up as a reason that they might be failing in the first place and move on?
Yea, I think it does say something…. But not that miles is completely devoid of value. If I had an entire off-season to evaluate coaches, was a bottom-dweller and literally had no expectations or anyone to impress, I wouldnt hire someone advanced in age who was rebounding from a bigger job. Id be looking for a guy that might be there in 15 years still. Obviously, probably not miles. And again, I dont even think hes the right guy for ole miss. But for Christ’s sake, for fans to turn their noses up at a nc winning coach after their hero and savior (haha) couldnt win an sec title and has people whispering death penalty? When you have no time for a hire and your guy is Matt luke? I figure you could at least politely decline instead of turn a snotty nose up. And as for your article, I agree he isnt getting the job. Just thought it was unnecessary to air a laundry list of miles failures (including not being nick Saban) using really really simplified journalist speak, when we know the reason he isnt getting the job has little to do with his offense. Its not a good fit, its situational, hes old, etc etc. And if we were gonna review this list of miles failures at lsu, we could mention there probably arent any available coaches with rings…. Or even a conference championship? I’m just ready for it to be the distant enough past for folks to give a nod to the winningest coach in lsu history without discussing him as a failure.
Ole Miss rides the interim coach out this season. Once the AD, offending Boosters are gone and the NCAA dust settles, it’ll be interesting to find out who is still interested in the job. I suspect pretty much the same guy they have now and of course, the mad hatter.
Normally I would say that too, but the ability Ole Miss has shown to to completely ignore reality makes me wonder what will be next. What’s next? IDK. No one does. there could be revelations that the ‘escorts’ weren’t for Freeze plus I’ve read that a lot of the girls doing this are underage. I doubt Ole Miss wants to know. Too much possible downside. Just possibilities. Like I said, I don’t know, anything can happen.
And who’s to say there were girls?
Do you think BootyBuster was one?
Miles is a likeable coach, but I feel like he should use his personality for tv and leave coaching behind. Even with how his career ended like it did at LSU he still had a nice career there, I personally like him seems very likeable I just don’t want to see him end up like Howard Schnellenberger did. Sitting at a crap team and going out 1-11 his last year of coaching.
I don’t think Miles would be a bad hire for Ole Miss. They don’t need their next 10-20 year coach. They need a guy with experience who can provide some stability for 2-3 years.
So what that Miles may have outdated offensive ideas. You think he will hold ole Miss back from the 6 wins a year they’re going to have with depleted ranks? So what that Purdue didn’t want him. Who do you think Ole Miss is going to land, Jumbo Fisher?
Miles may be bad for a lot of other programs, but he wouldn’t necessarily be bad for what Ole Miss needs. And more importantly, he may well be the best they are able to land, if he is even interested. A big if.
Sure, they can look for some unknown coach from high school or FCS and give him a chance.
Hell, why not find someone that has proven he will play ball in recruiting shenanigans and is willing to tutn a blind eye to what boosters are doing. Oh, wait, yeah that turned out well.
OM should hire Skip Holtz. Holtz won’t win but would get them thru the coming sanctions. Give him 5yrs at 2million a year and he would happily hand the reins to a young coach on the rise.