Will Wolverines Settle for Les?
ESPN is reporting that Michigan has received permission to speak with Les Miles about their head coaching vacancy. On the one hand this should be expected as he’s been presumed to be the front runner for quite a while. Bill Martin has said he has a list of about 20 candidates and Miles - who has the resume to qualify him for the job as well as professing interest in the opening - was a lock to get an interview. Louisiana State also plans on making a pitch to keep their head coach.
On the other had the timing is going to play a big role in the decision process: LSU will likely give Miles a small window to take or leave their offer. If Bill Martin really is committed to interviewing a solid number of prospects he might not be able to give Miles an answer as quickly as the coach would like. So if that’s the case will Les Miles walk away from an LSU deadline without knowing for sure if he will become Michigan’s next coach? There’s also a decent chance that LSU offers more money than Michigan would. When you add in the $1.25 million buyout to hire Miles away from the Tigers it might result in a bit of sticker shock.
If Bill Martin is interested in interviewing Brian Kelly he might need to request permission pretty quickly as it’s being reported that Nebraska has requested permission to interview him to replace Bill Callahan. ESPN suggests that the Cornhuskers are set to decide between Bo Pellini and Turner Gill. Kelly has a much more impressive resume than either candidate so there’s reason to think Nebraska would want to interview him.
I’ll be fine with Miles if he ends up getting the gig but the way he choked away a potential BCS Championship bid just doesn’t sit well with me. I thought he’d have a good shot at leading Michigan to a BCS Championship game within 3-5 years but I must admit to now having some doubts. His two losses were to SEC featherweights who went a combined 5-9 in the SEC, outside of their victory over the Bayou Bengals.
Sure, Arkansas was good in the same way Penn State was good this season, going .500 in conference and sweeping their non-conference platter of cupcakes [North Texas, Chattanooga, Florida International and Troy]. The Razorbacks were so good that Houston Nutt promptly left to coach at Ole Miss. Arkansas: the stepping stone to the big-time. Miles will have the opportunity to win his first conference championship as a head coach this weekend when LSU plays Tennessee in the SEC championship game.
If Miles is hired my guess is that he would probably win at around a .750 clip. All in all not a big departure from Lloyd Carr’s tenure. The problem with that of course is that Jim Tressel has raised the bar. This season a bad loss by a Les Miles team just might have opened the door for the Buckeyes to make a return trip to the BCS Championship game. Let’s hope that doesn’t become a recurring theme if Miles becomes Michigan’s next head coach.
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[…] The pursuit of Les Miles played out a little bit like I thought it might. …the timing is going to play a big role in the decision process: LSU will likely give Miles a small window to take or leave their offer. If Bill Martin really is committed to interviewing a solid number of prospects he might not be able to give Miles an answer as quickly as the coach would like. So if that’s the case will Les Miles walk away from an LSU deadline without knowing for sure if he will become Michigan’s next coach? […]
[…] I certainly wasn’t among the throngs pushing for Miles to become the next head coach - I’ve been a big Brian Kelly fan. Kelly’s basically gotten the Les Miles treatment, with nefarious rumors about his past indicating he has no shot at the job. However Les Miles has some very vocal supporters with definite pull, as well as a large contingent of Michigan fans who are pulling for the University of Michigan to offer the job to the coach. […]