Michigan job looms over Miles

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By Chris McDonald

With the regular season of college football coming to an end, the rumors of coaching changes have already spread across the country. With traditional football schools like Michigan and Nebraska seeking new coaches, many big names are being thrown around the gossip mill. But the one job LSU fans should mostly be concerned about is Michigan because Les Miles could end up there.

After their 50-48 triple overtime defeat last week, the LSU Tigers find themselves limping into the SEC Championship, knowing that their chances to play for a national title have gone out of the window. But the Tigers could salvage their season with a victory over Tennessee to win the SEC, and possibly receive a second consecutive invitation to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. However, Tiger fans should be worrying over whether or not Miles will stick around that long.

Wanting to fill their open coaching position as soon as possible, Michigan may not wait for Miles to finish coaching all of his games at LSU to make a move on him. After all, the longer Michigan waits, the longer they will hurt their recruiting and preparation for next season. But is Miles their best candidate?

Miles attended the University of Michigan in the 1970s, and served as a two-year letterman under his late mentor Coach Bo Schembechler. In the 1980s, Miles served as an assistant coach at Michigan in different stints. From 1987-1994, Miles was part of a coaching staff that enjoyed eight straight winning seasons, in addition to bowl appearances. So clearly Miles has enough ties to Michigan that he would love to take over the head job at his alma mater. If Miles was given the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his idol Schembechler, surely he would go, right?

However, the success Miles has had at LSU over the past three seasons is better than any other coach in recent school history. So far through three seasons, Miles has a 32-6 record, with a 19-6 record in the SEC. In 2005, LSU finished 11-2, winning the SEC West before losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship. Miles followed the loss with a 40-3 smashing of Miami in the Peach Bowl.

In 2006, Miles led the Tigers to another 11-2 record, finishing second in the West, before crushing Notre Dame 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl. Now in 2007, Miles has led the Tigers to a 10-2 record, returning once again to the SEC Championship after winning the SEC West again. So is his success at LSU keeping him and his family content enough to stay in Baton Rouge?

The decision on who to hire as the next coach at Michigan could come down to who is the best suited to lead the Wolverines to immediate success. While Miles could fit that role, former coach Lloyd Carr could weigh heavily on the decision. It is rumored that Carr is not a big fan of Miles and is alleged to have a say who his successor will be. Couple that idea with the fact that Miles cannot talk to Michigan until after his bowl game, and Big Blue may have to look in a different direction.

But despite his success at LSU, there is no denying the allegiance Miles still has to his old school. Whenever referring to Michigan in conversation, Miles tends to use the word “we” rather than “them.” When talking about Michigan and their tradition, Miles’ eyes always seem to light up. Not that I blame him for his passion.

But as the Michigan coaching drama unfolds over the next few weeks, I hope that Michigan will at least consider many other coaches before choosing Miles as their guy. Because LSU fans have been hurt before, they don’t want to have to search for a new coach every few years. Especially a coach that helped Tiger fans finally forget the name “Saban.”

Originally Published: Issue 588 - November 28, 2007

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