Report: Arizona, Les Miles have ‘mutual interest’
Arizona is looking for a new football coach, so why shouldn’t Les Miles be a candidate?
The situation with the University of Arizona and Rich Rodriguez escalated quickly Tuesday night, from a report they were considering firing him to the move being made. Multiple potential candidates have surfaced to replace “Rich Rod,” but according to Neal McCready of Rivals.com, there’s already mutual interest between the school and Les Miles.
Miles is of course best known for his stint as head coach at LSU, with a 114-34 record over 11-plus seasons (2005-2016). He was fired four games into the 2016 season, and as jobs came open after last season it was hard to find one for which he was not a rumored candidate. But Purdue, Houston, Western Michigan and Minnesota all went in different directions. In this year’s hiring cycle, Ole Miss and Oregon State seemed to bypass Miles quite easily.
Miles drew ire during his time at LSU for the Tigers’ offensive ineptitude, which is even more alarming considering the wide receiver talent that has gone on to the NFL from the program in recent years. An overall refusal to adapt ultimately, finally cost him his job, and at 64 years old that stubbornness is surely not going away.
Hearing Les Miles is in real communication with University of Arizona today. Both parties are mutually interested. Miles wants to get back on the field.
— Neal McCready (@NealMcCready) January 3, 2018
Miles is always a good quote, and his sales pitch for why he should be hired may get Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke’s attention during an interview. But quarterback Khalil Tate is an early 2018 Heisman candidate after putting up just over 3,000 total yards and 26 total touchdowns (14 passing, 12 rushing) in 11 games this season. So having a more modern offense, not LSU’s “three yards and a cloud of dust” while simultaneously stunting the growth of the quarterback, has to be a prerequisite for Miles to be hired.
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If he won’t hire a progressive offensive coordinator, Miles simply should not be, and really cannot be, the next head coach at Arizona. Name recognition and a national title a decade ago now aren’t enough to make someone a great coach in 2018, even if Miles’ post-game press conferences would be appointment viewing.