Les Miles was one of the best coaches in the SEC, going 114-34 in his 12 seasons at LSU. He won two SEC Championship games and the 2007 National Championship Game. Miles was fired by LSU in 2016 after three consecutive seasons of finishing third or lower in the SEC West.
He was hired as the head coach for the University of Kansas in November 2018. Miles has experience coaching in the Big 12 as he coached Oklahoma State for four years before LSU. While he led the Cowboys to some success, Kansas will be a much tougher challenge for the 65-year old head coach.
From 2011-2018, the Jayhawks have won 15 games with four of those being against Big 12 opponents. They won the Orange Bowl in 2007, but have only had four postseason appearances since 2000. Kansas has been the worst Power Five school over the past five years as the Jayhawks have struggled to even reach six wins recently.
Miles has a reputation for bringing in talent and did a decent job in his first recruiting class at Kansas. While the Jayhawks’ 2018 recruiting class was rated higher, Miles was able to get four-star defensive end Steven Parker to sign. The South Oak Cliff product is a talented defensive end that will help rebuild the Kansas defensive line.
Pooka Williams Jr. was one of the most underrated running backs in the nation, rushing for 1,125 yards and seven touchdowns in his freshman season. Miles’ teams at LSU have always been ground based, so having a 1,000 yard rusher in the backfield makes the transition process easier. Peyton Stanley graduated, so Miles will have to figure out who his starting quarterback will be next season.
Steven Sims Jr led Kansas in receiving last season with 535 yards, but he graduated. The Jayhawks were tied for 98th in the country in passing yards, which Miles will have to address early this season. Their schedule this season is not particularly hard as a road game against Boston College is the Jayhawks’ toughest nonconference game.
Miles has a tough road ahead as he tries to rebuild Kansas, but he is up for the challenge. The Jayhawks may not make a bowl game in his first season, but they will definitely be better than last year.
Is Les Miles In For His Toughest Coaching Job Ever
