Report: Les Miles tied to Purdue Boilermakers?
By John Buhler
With Purdue University hiring Mike Bobinski as its new athletic director, might Purdue target Les Miles as its 2017 head football coach?
It may have slid under the radar a bit, but Purdue University’s decision to hire former Georgia Tech athletic director Mike Bobinski could signify huge changes to the Purdue Boilermakers’ football team. Could Bobinski replace Darrell Hazell with former LSU Tigers head coach Les Miles?
According to USA Today Sports’ Dan Wolken, one guy to keep an eye on with a potential opening at Purdue is Miles. This would be a huge hire for the Boilermakers football program.
As Purdue marches toward the inevitable conclusion, one name I'm told to keep an eye on there: Les Miles
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) October 15, 2016
The Big Ten has amplified its collective coaching acumen in the last few years. Urban Meyer going to Ohio State and Jim Harbaugh to Michigan have made it somewhat of a coaching arms race in the Big Ten.
Illinois has hired Lovie Smith, Penn State has hired James Franklin, and Nebraska has hired Mike Riley. Bobinski didn’t get to hire Paul Johnson while at Georgia Tech. With the Georgia Tech not really emphasizing athletics the last few years, Bobinski decided to leave the university for another public school that actually wants to make athletics a priority.
Hazell has never won more than three games in a season on the Purdue job. It’s only inevitable that Bobinski is going to hire his new head coach. Miles is 62, but does have ties to the Big Ten. He played his college ball at Michigan for Bo Schembechler in the 1970s.
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If Purdue is able to land Miles, look for the Boilermakers to come back to national prominence by the end of the decade. Miles can recruit and would make Purdue a competitive team in the Big Ten West.