The Lost Coaching Change at Kansas

Les Miles gave a quick interview last week on ESPN’s Get Up. He talked about the restart of his coaching career at the University of Kansas. This coaching change was completely lost on me. It happened in November of last year. November! I heard nothing about it. Not even a notification on my phone. How could this have happened? Have I been living under a rock? Maybe. But oh my God am I excited about it. Les Miles is one of the most electric coaches in all of college football. I can only see Kansas getting better from here on out. He has a long and prosperous career from all the way back in his Michigan days (1980). He has since been the head coach for both Oklahoma St and LSU, and now, after a lost coaching change, he is at Kansas.

Early Career

At Oklahoma St, Les took over a 3-8 team. Their first season under Miles they finished 4-7. Starting with year two, he turned that team around and ended each of the final three seasons he was there with winning records and three bowl appearances. Both times he and his Cowboys faced off against their in-state rival Sooners, Miles led his team to two underdog, upset wins against a much higher ranked opponent.

Tenure

We move now to LSU, where Les “grass-eating” Miles spent most of his career. After a slow start to the 2005 season, due to no fault of his own (two massive hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, remember them?) Miles led LSU to an 11-2 season (post seasoned included) with an utter dismantling of the #9 Miami Hurricanes . He continued his success through 2006 and then went on to win the 2007 BCS National Championship Game, giving Miles’ his 1st and LSU’s 3rd. He had tremendous success during his tenure at LSU. In his last few season there were rumors flying around that he was leaving LSU for another coaching position. Despite him denying these claims (that were swirling around from year to year) and after a rocky start to the 2016 season, LSU fired Miles.

A New Beginning

Miles was hired by University of Kansas last November (2018). Wow! Are you excited or what?! Les Miles is arguably one of the best coaches in college football and now that he is back the Big 12 better watch out. I think that he is one of those coaches that can come in and make a bad team great in a matter of months. Kansas has had one good season in years past, when they went 12-1 in 2007. Every other year they are a sub .500 team. It’s sad, but I’ve got to imagine that any player, staff member, board member, or whomever is pretty excited to hear that they got LES “trick-play” MILES coming to coach them. I’m hyped, you’re hyped, everyone’s hyped. Not hyped in the sense that the Jayhawks will win the conference or anything like that, but I believe Miles can single-handedly lead them much farther than they have gone before.