CC: ESPN's Haney thinks Miles should be UM's next coach.
Nothing new but Haney suggests Harbaugh and Miles are the best candidates (duh) but Miles is the more practical, and logical option.
"And when the time comes, LSU coach Les Miles -- not Jim Harbaugh, or anyone else -- should be the first and only call. For one, Miles is established enough that he wouldn’t feel unsettled if an AD were named after his hiring. He wouldn’t feel pressure from that office the way others might.
Miles is being dismissed in some circles because of his age. But he’s 61, not 71. And he’s a young 61, at that.
If a "brand" such as Michigan got 10 or so years from Miles, wouldn't that be more than sufficient given the recent run of turnover and turmoil? The "30-year college coach" isn't a thing anymore, right? We can agree on that. Take what you can get, and a decade is gold.
After the rumblings in 2007 and then again in 2011, this could finally be the right time for Miles to return to Michigan, where he got his start as a GA in 1980. Someone close to Miles told me last fall that he could see him heading back to UM, for his "last job." Coaches are buying it, too.
"I would think Les would try to get Michigan this time," a Power 5 head coach suggested this week by text."
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/travis-haney/post?id=3654
$$ Insider
October 3rd, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^
Interesting that it's put as Miles getting Michigan, instead of Michigan getting Miles.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^
due to his Vol-fandom, is so concerned about our potential hire of a HC.
October 3rd, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^
It doesn't sound like he has any sources that say that Miles is interested.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^
but this is more opinion that UM should target Miles first more than reporting that Miles wants the job.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
I got one, John Wangler. He's been on the record as his friend saying that Miles has never been offered the Michigan job and if he ever was it would be hard to turn down.
October 3rd, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^
Put a lid on all the SEC cheat-cruiting and shit, and I could live with Miles.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:03 AM ^
I'm guessing that most of the cheating comes from people outside the program ('bagmen'). Not saying SEC coaches (Miles included) are saints or don't look the other way at these things but I'm also guessing Miles knows that if he comes to UM, some of the things he/LSU get away with won't be accepted at Ann Arbor.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:35 AM ^
"Grayshirting" comes from the coach and staff.
Miles is a great coach, but mybe not right for us.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:00 PM ^
This exactly. There are all kinds of rumors around Miles that concern me as a Michigan fan, but despite hearing them from very reputable sources, they are still rumors.
Oversigning/grayshirting is clear and concrete, and can't be done by anyone but the head coach. And probably more than any other allegations, it is about not caring for the college players, and building success on the backs of those players. If Miles is our next head coach, I'm out for a few years--I just don't think I could cheer for him to succeed.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 12:42 PM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:30 AM ^
including the bowl game, I would take the Vest with a staff of Juggalos at this point. I mean, we are really in a bad way so I could live with about anything right now.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:35 AM ^
He'd probably come with Cameron, which ugh. I don't want Les but if he's the choice I hope he's here for a short stint and hires a couple of coach-in-waiting type coordinators.
October 3rd, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^
Here's a #hottake - the problem is, if we put a lid on the SEC cheat-cruiting, Les Miles is a lousy coach otherwise. He wins due to shear athletic talent, not a solid X's and O's advantage. I think he'd be just as bad here as Brady Hoke.
October 3rd, 2014 at 10:58 AM ^
We'd have to switch our field to grass to accommodate his appetite. But other than that, yes plz
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^
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October 3rd, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^
I'd take Les Miles. I remember back in 07 and 11 how much I didn't want Miles coaching here. It's funny ( or tragic ) how some things change.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^
this feels a lot like 4 and 7 years ago. I just cannot see a scenario where Miles comes to Michigan now. He was not young the first time we had interest. He may be close to winding things down at this point. I would not like this if it went down. Maybe 7 years ago, but this seems to be 1 ship that has sailed.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:14 AM ^
Do you think Miles would go three years and then quit? He could easily go 10, 12 years. Bobby Bowden went to the Orange Bowl when he was 71 and won the national title the year before. Frank Solich took over OHIO when he was 61 and made them into one of the MAC's better teams. Steve Spurrier took over Sakerlina when he was 60 and seems to be doing awfully damn well - and this is his tenth season. Hell, the kids being recruited now have no idea the Ol' Ball Coach was ever at Florida.
Lots of such examples. Miles is not too old.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:17 AM ^
he just convinced me. Give me my dollar back.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:55 AM ^
Not just the age (he is now 70, in his tenth year at Ohio U), but in what difference a good coach can make. Ohio was basically EMU in terms of football before he got there, and now they regularly go to bowl games. Granted, those bowl games usually have the name "Beef O'Brady" or "Famous Idaho Potato" in them, but it's still a real accomplshment. He's even won 3 division titles.
Like Miles, he is from the area of the country his new school was in, so he "got" the culture, put in his system, and pretty quickly he was on his way.
Miles is absolutely not too old for the job. Whether the AD in 2015 (which, unfortunately, I think will be Brandon) will hire him....
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:03 AM ^
Whatever. UM had it everything it needed in coach Rodriguez. An offensive minded coach for the offensive game of football that is played in the 21st century. And then we fired him because he wasn't a "Michigan Man". Simply put - we BLEW IT! And we will continue to pay a heavy price as long as this nostaligic, arrogant and anachronistic concept continues to dictate the conversation. God speed boys.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:04 AM ^
I thought we fired him cause he got blown out 52-14 to missisipi state
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:08 AM ^
And he lost the game before that by 30 to OSU and he lost the game before that by 20 to Wisconsin.......you get the idea. RR got fired because he deserved to get fired. That being said, good luck to him at Arizona.
October 3rd, 2014 at 3:18 PM ^
Would still be at Michigan if he understood Defense wins Championships.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:10 AM ^
getting trounced by Michigan State, Penn State, and Ohio State a collective 9 times and getting our football program put on probation for NCAA violations for the 1st time in history, and then singing at a press conference. That is the way I remember it at least.
Beat Rutgers.
October 3rd, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^
Stop with the probation crap. That most certainly was bullshit and everyone here knows it. Say all you want about his terrible defense, but the probation thing is a bridge too far.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:10 AM ^
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:30 AM ^
At this point RR was all ready run out of town, we new it and the players new it. Kind of hard to play for someone when they know he is gone and your future is uncertain.
I supported him to the end, and the way you MI Men treated him was digusting, fucking arogant pricks.
This is comming from a MI fan since I was 6 years old watching Jamie Morris run people over! But what happend to RR and eveything now has given me such a sour taste of M, and my Wife just graduated from there with her BSN.
Sick to my stomach!
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:20 AM ^
Honestly, if you think that you were blind. I was on the RichRod train and wanted him to succeed, but any person with a brain would know the results he was kicking out were going to lead to him being fired. He could have been at any high profile school, and he'd be gone.
If he would have won and still wasn't a "Michigan man," he'd still be here.
That being said, every coaching search my first man has always been Miles so count me on the Miles bandwagon! Grass smoothies for everyone :D
October 3rd, 2014 at 1:08 PM ^
Had Casteel come then I think his experience here would have been very different.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:04 AM ^
He is a proven winner, with deep college experience and truly from the Bo coaching tree.
After he was treated so shabbily though, over the last two searches, I would be somewhat shocked if he agreed to come.
October 3rd, 2014 at 12:42 PM ^
Not saying you are wrong but (1) how was he treated so terribly, and (2) do you believe he might have done some things to "deserve" such treatment (as some rumors suggest)? Just wondering.
October 3rd, 2014 at 4:04 PM ^
He was treated so shabbily he got a huge raise from LSU each time. I wish I was treated that badly.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:04 AM ^
If we hire Miles, I can't wait for the meltdown snowflake threads about coaching decisions.
There would be so many genius/boneheaded decisions in the making since he's the Mad Hatter after all.
I would love him regardless tho.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:06 AM ^
I should have also mentioned Haney's other interesting point about Harbaugh. He actually suggests Harbaugh may take the Kansas job - yes Kansas - over Michigan if he were to leave the NFL. Yay for new speculation!
<blockquote>
"As for Harbaugh, most in the coaching world anticipate him staying in San Francisco or possibly taking another NFL job. But if he does leave for a college gig, those close to Harbaugh told an ESPN colleague that it would be for Kansas. Yes, Kansas.
The last time the KU job was open, Harbaugh strongly considered leaving Stanford for Lawrence. So some believe the embattled Niners coach would again kick it around.
Harbaugh’s wife is from Kansas City and, evidently, the man has great affinity for the Sunflower State.
"He's just crazy enough to do it," a Harbaugh confidant told Seth Wickersham, who wrote a definitive profile of Harbaugh for ESPN The Magazine.
Why not Michigan? I'm told that Harbaugh is just too maniacal, given the current state of things and the prideful way that the school's administration postures. UM administration isn't wont to "sell out" for a winner. Miles strikes a balance."
<blockquote>
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
is about as likely as David Brandon hiring Rich Rodriguez back. These "journalists" are just talking out their ass.
October 3rd, 2014 at 12:51 PM ^
Kansas, just wow... If JH passed up UM to take Kansad, that'd be a nut punch indeed.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:07 AM ^
BRB gonna try eating grass
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:09 AM ^
What's important is who David Brandon thinks should be the next UM football coach if Brady Hoke is let go. If Brandon didn't hire him in 2010—when Miles was younger and had a NC more recently in his rearview mirror—I don't see why DB would hire him now.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
I'd be shocked (and pissed) if DB makes the next hire. If I'm Schlissel, I'm not firing DB right at this moment, partly because I don't want to send the message that I'll do whatever a protesting crowd demands. But there's no way that I'd accept a major hit to what the students and alumni think of me - this early in my job - to keep a bad AD hired by another president.
I think DB is gone by the week after the OSU game, at the very latest, and well before then if the season continues to go as it has been going. I'm just not expecting it to happen tomorrow.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:09 AM ^
No thanks.
Conduct an actual coaching search, do actual research, set up actual interviews, and look for the best guy.
If that guy happens to have Michigan ties that's a bonus, but only hire him because he is the best candidate for the job. I'm sick of frivolous inanities running this program into the ground.
Just going with a 60 (soon to be 61) year old Les Miles "CUZ MICHIGAN" is the sort of embarrassing, non-thinking garbage that got us mired in the shit hurricane we're presently experiencing.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:17 AM ^
What about "CUZ AVERAGEZ 11 WINZ A YEAR"? Is that a good reason?
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:20 AM ^
What does that have to do with my post? Did you not read it or something?
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:34 AM ^
It has everything to do with your post inasmuch as you implied that the only reason to consider Miles was that he's a Michigan grad. I gave you one more reason.
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^
The entire point of my post was to hire the best guy, but to, you know, conduct an actual coaching search for once to find that guy, instead of going, "IS HE A MICH'GAN MAN? WELL? DO HE BE ONE? THEN HIRE THAT SUM'BITCH! NO IFS ANDS OR BUTTS BOUT IT!"
October 3rd, 2014 at 11:51 AM ^
Has it registered with you yet that Miles averages 11 wins a year? I'm wondering if you find that an acceptable reason.
October 3rd, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
Have any of my points registered with you? I've understood all of your from the get go. From before you even posted. I know Miles' track record of success. You apparently can't read however, I don't see how you are continuing this line of conversation otherwise.