Les Miles (image via NFL.com)
LSU fired head coach Les Miles after a tough loss to Auburn. The LSU Tigers are now 2-2 with wins over Jacksonville State and Mississippi State, while the losses have been to Wisconsin and the aforementioned Auburn.
Here’s a look at if and how the situation in Baton Rouge might affect Michigan:
Dennis Norfleet scored a game-winner for Tuskegee
FORMER PLAYERS
DB Blake Countess, Auburn: Countess made 6 tackles and 1 pass breakup in Auburn’s 29-13 loss to Alabama. Auburn was highly ranked to begin the year, but their final record is 6-6.
TE Keith Heitzman, Ohio: Heitzman made 1 catch for 5 yards in Ohio’s 26-21 win over Northern Illinois. The Bobcats are bowl-eligible at 8-4.
RB Dennis Norfleet, Tuskegee: Norfleet scored the game-winning touchdown on a 2-yard run with 19 seconds remaining in Tuskegee’s 35-31 win over North Alabama in the second round of the Division II playoffs. Norfleet also started the scoring with an 8-yard run, and had 21 carries for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns, 3 catches for 19 yards, and 2 kickoff returns for 44 yards. Tuskegee plays the University of West Georgia this coming Saturday at noon in the D-II quarterfinals.
Hit the jump for more updates on former players, coaches, and commits.
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| Jim Harbaugh |
Brady Hoke’s firing was publicly announced on December 2, so it has been 17 days since Michigan has had a head coach. Obviously, athletic director Jim Hackett is waiting on Jim Harbaugh, who declined comment about the Michigan job when asked on Thursday afternoon. News leaked – from one side or the other – that Harbaugh had been offered a 6-year, $48 million contract but Bruce Feldman says that figure is inaccurate (LINK).
Rumors persist that Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops would be Michigan’s #2 option, but he might be off the table because someone of his coaching stature would not want to play second fiddle to Harbaugh. I say there’s no shame in being the backup to an NFL head coach who would potentially be coming back to his alma mater. That’s not an insult to Stoops, but hey, the guy has won more championships than Harbaugh.
LSU head coach Les Miles told reporters off the record that he would not be coming to Michigan.
A lot of people have been saying that Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen is not even being considered, but he has yet to sign a rumored contract extension with MSU. He may not be on Michigan’s radar, but he seems like a guy who might be waiting for some dominoes to fall in the coaching world before he marries himself to the Bulldogs for too long (or for too big of a buyout).
Meanwhile, potential Plan C option Steve Addazio signed an extension with Boston College through 2020 (LINK). Another potential coach, Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman, has been hired as Houston’s head coach for five years and $6.75 million (LINK).
With Pitt head coach Paul Chryst taking the job at Wisconsin, the Panthers are now looking for a head coach. While they probably wouldn’t be able to poach an established head coach, they may be able to snag an up-and-coming coordinator or head coach. Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck just signed a contract extension through 2020, but there are still guys like Greg Schiano, Tom Bradley (former Penn State defensive coordinator, current WVU assistant head coach) and Pat Narduzzi hanging around. I could see Schiano or Bradley taking the job, but Narduzzi seems to be holding out for something better than Pitt since he rebuffed UConn last year.
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| Jim Harbaugh |
Michigan fans are buying the hype – almost 50% of them think Jim Harbaugh will be the next Michigan head coach. Greg Schiano is ranked too high at 2%, though, people.
Other: 41%
Les Miles
Age: 61
Current position: Louisiana State University head coach
Head coaching experience: 103-28 at LSU (2005-present), 28-21 at Oklahoma State (2001-2004), 131-49 overall
Current salary: $4,300,000 per year
History: Miles grew up in Ohio and was an offensive lineman at Michigan under Bo Schembechler in the mid-1970’s. After being a graduate assistant at Michigan, he went to Colorado and then came back to Ann Arbor to be the offensive line coach for four seasons. He took a promotion to be Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator, spent a few seasons coaching tight ends for the Cowboys (Dallas, that is), and was rehired at Oklahoma State as their head coach. A high-powered offense propelled him to the head coaching job at LSU, where he has mostly been known for suffocating defenses, particularly on his way to winning the 2007 national championship.
My thoughts: I have reservations about Miles because of some stories about how he has rubbed people the wrong way at Michigan with his actions in the past. The athletic department was fractured when Lloyd Carr retired and was replaced by Rich Rodriguez, and Michigan got past that right around the time when the student body and journalists turned on athletic director David Brandon, essentially forcing him out. There would certainly be some ruffled feathers if Miles were hired, so that would be a guaranteed bump in the road. They say “winning cures everything” so that might smooth things over a little bit. Miles has a history of running the ball a lot, getting athletic wideouts, having mediocre quarterbacks, and producing big-time players at all levels on the defense. Miles would be good on the recruiting trail with his accolades and midwest connections, and his style of play would be well received, too. The drawbacks would appear to be money and whatever shenanigans he pulled to make some long-time Wolverines angry. Miles also has a history of oversigning and then cutting “unworthy” players, which is a rampant issue in the SEC. That would not go over well at Michigan, but that is something that might be institutional and fairly easily fixed.
My wish list:
1. Bob Stoops
2. Les Miles
3. Mike Shanahan
