Miles and Michigan Will Meet
http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2011/01/lsu_football_coach_les_miles_r_2.html
From Miles himself.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:29 PM ^
The best way for Miles to say no without saying no is to say it in private, through an agent. That way Michigan can say Miles was never a target and Miles doesn't burn any bridges with LSU.
The only fine line being walked is for just in case if the final interview does not go well.
No high profile coach is going to say they are interviewing unless all the details have been worked out and there is mutual interest. There are too many negatives to high-profile coaches "just feeling things out" in a public manner. It is just not done.
January 11th, 2011 at 9:50 AM ^
Why would DB consult LM on other canidates for the position? What makes him so qualified to offer UM advice? Just because it is his alma mater? I do not think it would be worth the head ache for LM if it was just to ask for advice. You already see how stressed and uncomfortable this whole thing is making LM. Plus there are plenty of people that could verify/suggest other people for the postion.
He is a serious canidate for a reason. His connections to UM, his recruiting ability, and his abiltiy to coach football. All really good reasons.
The question now is why would he leave LSU now? His team will finish top 10 in BCS this year, a great recruiting class, and they are already being predicted as a Preseason top 5 team next year.
January 10th, 2011 at 1:20 PM ^
Bad gateway double post
January 10th, 2011 at 1:26 PM ^
If it were just a meeting, he would have said, "It's just a meeting to discuss other coaching candidates." Why raise expectations if you have no intention of fulfilling them?
January 10th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^
This is finally real and means something. One way or the other we know that Les is, in fact a a candidate and that DB is meeting with him.
January 10th, 2011 at 3:43 PM ^
Right, if this were just flirtation I doubt Miles and Michigan would make it so public following what happened in 2007.
January 10th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^
Who's telling him this? Is Les Miles taking orders from the shadow regim in Ypsi? Or is this coming from the same place that tells him to eat grass? Does he have a psychic on staff?
January 10th, 2011 at 1:53 PM ^
I believe that Miles himself said that the LSU AD had to get 24-hours' notice before Miles could meet with Michigan.
So . . . Michigan calls the LSU AD and asks for permission. The AD tells Miles that Michigan wants to speak to him tomorrow at the coaches' convention in Dallas.
But it is curious that Miles phrased it this way because it's hard to believe that he does not know about the meeting from his agent or the back-channel sources that Michigan as undoubtedly been contacting.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:01 PM ^
I left my wallet in...
January 10th, 2011 at 2:42 PM ^
I don't get it.
January 10th, 2011 at 3:00 PM ^
January 10th, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
confirmed by Herbstreit.
January 10th, 2011 at 3:08 PM ^
but I can't. Damnable tubes!
January 10th, 2011 at 1:11 PM ^
This is strange. What we know from several reports is that Michigan plans to meet with Les Miles and that a place and time has not been determined. I assumed, given that DB and staff have remained so tight lipped, that there was a LOT going on behind the scenes that we didn't know about regarding Les Miles. This interview seems to indicate that there was nothing going on that we didn't know about. He hasn't spoken to Michigan, a meeting is being arranged, but not much else has happened. That kind of worries me.
January 10th, 2011 at 1:19 PM ^
Typically, most of the preliminary stuff is done through intermediaries. Allows both sides plausible deniability. It's not as if he and DB will be walking into the meeting cold, saying "So what's up?" The "interview" usually comes pretty late in the process. Plus, these guys already know each other.
January 10th, 2011 at 1:12 PM ^
24 hour notice is in his contract, so whether this constitutes sufficient notice (doubtful that it would be just this) or not, a formal notice would certainly be subject to an FOI request since LSU is a public institution.
Hence, it wasn't going to be a big secret for long.
January 10th, 2011 at 1:12 PM ^
January 10th, 2011 at 1:15 PM ^
Les bleeds blue. If he's not likely to make the cc, why would we he confirm that he's discussing same with Michigan? Who's interests would this serve? Nobody's. He doesn't need to go public in order to leverage LSU. And why would he (or M) put the school in a position where it would look jilted? Sounds to me that, if anything, he's leveraging M into an offer.
January 10th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^
The fact that he said he isn't sure what the tone of the conversation will be really scares me. I have a bad feeling it will be DB saying "So Les, how do you feel about us hiring Hoke?"
January 10th, 2011 at 1:41 PM ^
sounds like yet another coach is gonna spurn his great mother (our program)... theyve done so well and are living in a warm and comfortable environment, and don't want to leave. if hoke gives up san diego, you gotta give him props for that, because its paradise down there.
January 10th, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^
IF they hire Miles, in my opinion it is an admission that the AD at the time completely fucked up the coaching search 3 years ago by not hiring him and instead offering a bunch of people until someone took it even though it was a "bad fit".
January 10th, 2011 at 1:45 PM ^
Isn't firing our coach after 3 short years admission enough that he things they completely fucked it up last time.
January 10th, 2011 at 1:33 PM ^
Just get it over with, my goodness!
January 10th, 2011 at 2:14 PM ^
to michigan. i have read that his wife doesn't want to come back to aa, and he even said how happy his family is there and that he loves it there. yeah he could come right out and say "NO" im not going to michigan and get it over with, but i think that he at least wants to talk to michigan if for anything, so they aren't completely embarrassed by again by another coach that doesn't want to come back to michigan. i just seriously think his comments about spending time with his underclassmen, loves it in b.r., family loves it there etc. i think he's pretty much made up his mind, he's not coming but he's gonna hear what they have to say out of respect. just my opinion.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:14 PM ^
I just read all the comments... Am I the only person who picked up this part: "I spent my day with a number of underclassmen, that I want to return right here. I am extremely happy..." etc. etc. etc.
Now, you can read that 2 ways: 1) There are a number of underclassmen that Les wants to return to LSU next year. If this were a written statement where sentences are clearly thought out, I might tend to lean towards this interpretation. But since it was spoken, I tend to think, that, 2) "I want to return right here" was a mid-sentence shift in thought. In other words, Les was saying "I spent my day with a number of underclassmen; I want to return right here. I am extremely happy..." etc. etc. etc.
And if you think about it, why would Les be saying that he spent his day with underclassmen who he wants to return? Isn't it assumed that most underclassmen on an 11-2 team will return the following year? I hate to say it, but I feel like the only way to interpret this is that Les is making a public statement that he wants to return to LSU next year. Now, as for how much of that statement is BS, I suppose can't speak to that.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:21 PM ^
i completely agree...it's like he was saying "i'm not going to michigan" without actually saying it. the only question is why doesn't he just say it...
January 10th, 2011 at 2:33 PM ^
It seems that Les is a strange person to begin with. If he wants to stay at LSU, why bother meeting with DB. It leaves a bad impression with LSU if he wants to stay there. He would just say I am not interested and love where I am.
DB also has enough information about Les. The interview or meeting would be just to close things out. I don't think an interview would change DB's mind. If he is doing this to please certain people then this search will not end soon.
All that said, even with LM's interview at the Cotton Bowl, which would make it seem like he wants to come here and it is a done deal. LM can chagne his mind. He is a total wild card. Maybe he thinks this is a game and practicing his 4th down tricks.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:23 PM ^
during the 2007 search?
January 10th, 2011 at 2:34 PM ^
This still sounds to me like Les hoping we will call and not wanting to take himself out of the running by saying he's staying. All of the rumors are coming from his side and use words like "would", "hope", and "expect". I'd be surprised if we're going after him, if only because it confirms Brandon is a total screw-up. If Miles was the guy he would have been in Ann Arbor days ago and it would have happened without all this bullshit speculation.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
What about LSU's bowl game? And the press conference? How is Brandon not hiring an unavailable coach a screw-up?
In summary, Brandon is conducting his search and is screwing up for unsubstantiated reasons.
Congratulations, "bullshit speculation" == your post
January 10th, 2011 at 3:35 PM ^
How important were the BCS bowl games at WVU and Cincinnati the last few years? The answer is not at all. Miles was playing in a lesser tier game that meant essentially nothing and we'd be asking him to return to his alma mater, not leave it. Even if Brandon wanted to let Miles coach in the game, they would/should have a deal in place already if he's the guy, they shouldn't be maybe kind of sort of hopefully going to have a meeting tomorrow while Miles hems and haws in front of his current employers this far down the road.
January 10th, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^
Last time I checked, Miles is still LSU's coach. His responsibility up through last Friday was to prepare his team for his bowl game (something RR should have tried). If it came out that he was meeting with Michigan before his bowl and then his team lost, LSU would be pissed AND there would be no guarantee he'd have a job with Michigan. Again, this is a pretty standard way to handle having one job and interviewing for another.
It's possible Brandon pinged him one or more times between Gator bowl and last Friday, but if so, it's also possible Miles asked him to wait until after the game to meet. And I believe Brandon hadn't 100% made up his mind on Rodriguez until the result of the Gator Bowl and his meeting with RR. So the fact that he didn't hire Miles between Jan 1. and last Friday isn't unusual, it was really the most likely situation. Miles is now free to meet with Brandon and listen to his pitch without tipping his hand to LSU and looking like he wants out.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:34 PM ^
they did meet in 2007. which is one reason why i think that this time around he will handle it differently. the last coaching search was a big mess (kirk herbstreit) etc. and was embarassing to michigan. i hope i'm wrong, i for one would like to see miles in michigan. he may do some things wrong, but i don't know what more ppl could want. he wins games in the sec, won bcs championship, beat tressel, michigan man, great recruiter. i think if he can beat teams in the sec, he can beat big ten teams...once again, just my opinion
January 10th, 2011 at 3:11 PM ^
he has been at the top fo the SEC since he arrived. You can't say its sabans team forever? Miles can recruit, and I think kids buy into what he preaches. I don't care if he eats grass, as long as he doesn't smoke it (get caught smoking it anyway.......guy's still gotta live!) I hope he's our coach, and I think he has the best shot of all of them at retaining #16
January 10th, 2011 at 2:36 PM ^
When does anyone ever say anything but vague platitudes or meaningless jargon in a sports press conference? Why is everyone possibily reading so much into the specifics of what he means? What he means is that there are all sorts of complex negotiations going on and he can't just come out and say "yeah I'm pretty psyched to go for that Michigan job" at an LSU press conference in Baton Rouge. OF COURSE he's going to indicate that he wants to stay. But the fact that they're having an interview indicates that he isn't going to, if everything else lines up right.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:39 PM ^
Did he just say it's hard to speculate what the meeting would be about?
Here's my guess:
It's about Michigan's coaching vacancy.
That, or David Brandon has just been flying around to shoot the breeze with some former Michigan players/assistants/potential head coaches.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:43 PM ^
The Dominoes plane that Brandon has been traveling on is headed for Baton Rouge this afternoon.
Meeting earlier than expected?
January 10th, 2011 at 2:47 PM ^
Scheduled departure is 3:29 eastern from Dallas:
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N220DF
Is Les still in Dallas? Will the meeting be on the plane like in Bond movies? Because that would be awesome.
January 10th, 2011 at 3:21 PM ^
I was thinking the same thing after @chengelis tweeted it. Maybe they are sending the Dominoes plane to Baton Rouge to pick up Miles, as he is supposed to speak at the coaches conf. tomorrow. When he gets on what he thinks is just a normal plane (I assume they don't have a picture of pizza on the side or anything), DB is waiting on board. He pimp slaps Miles, telling him "that is for 2007", and then they start the interview/negotiations/consultation/grass eating.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:48 PM ^
Since I can't post a reply to the new main page post, can someone please tell me what's so "deeply weird' about what Miles said? Does he need to paint you a picture? And more importantly, would anybody in his right mind who's making a ton of money coaching a great team say to the media "Yes, I'm talking to Michigan about their job opening as head football coach?" Les is doing his due diligence responding to Michigan's supposed interest in him just like anyone else would. If they make him a good enough offer, he can accept, and if not, he doesn't have to behave in a way that's insulting to his current employer, especially if he doesn't end up at Michigan. This is a perfectly normal reaction to what's going on, just like Brandon is conducting a very ordinary coaching search, though people don't want to admit it.
Please keep the commentary useful or just stick to the reporting, you've made your feelings about Miles very clear.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:51 PM ^
Les gonna stay, cuz he knows he can't stay around my buddy Lloyd, who promised free cheeseburgers
January 10th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
And to think people doubted my ex-mascot source.
January 10th, 2011 at 3:03 PM ^
Hurry the F up, this S**t is getting old.
January 10th, 2011 at 3:06 PM ^
Chengelis is now reporting that the Domino's plane is leaving Dallas for Baton Rouge. Someone get on flight tracker.
January 10th, 2011 at 3:25 PM ^
There is a team meeting tomorrow PM. Hopefully it is to announce our new hire.
January 10th, 2011 at 3:33 PM ^
I hope it is too. Not because I think speed is more important for the program than getting the right man, but mostly because I want this to be over because it is sapping my productivity. But if they are having an interview with a candidate now, they can't have a decision deadline of tomorrow unless they are down to two choices (Les and someone else) and the evaluation of the someone else has already been largely done (this screams Hoke?). If it's announced tomorrow it has to be Miles or Hoke I would imagine since no-one else has been vetted yet to our (potentially wrong) knowledge.
FWIW Pizza One is in the air.
January 10th, 2011 at 3:44 PM ^
Can we have a source of this alleged team meeting? I have found nothing on the interwebs. (not saying you are full of crap, just would like a source).
Also, if this is true, the timing is lining up very nicely for a halftime announcement during the MBB game when we take on our arch rivals.
January 10th, 2011 at 4:02 PM ^
LSU'S A.D.
"I can certainly understand Coach Miles' desire to accommodate his alma mater by speaking with them during their coaching search. We remain committed to working toward keeping Les Miles as the head of the LSU football program, a program that wins at a high level, graduates its student-athletes and represents the university well in the community under his leadership."
that's what i think miles is doing...accomodating his alma mater by speaking with them during their coaching search..and i think that's all he's doing. i still don't think he'll leave lsu but i hope i'm wrong
January 10th, 2011 at 4:12 PM ^
Something is not quite right in Baton Rouge. Seriously. The way that the whole Les thing is going down is COMPLETELY out of character for the way that this whole CC thing has been going.
Think about it - DB has had this thing hidden away in a steal vault, being driven in an invisible armored car. People in the AD's office don't know jack about the RR firing, the "short list," interviews, etc.
Now let's look at the Les thing. First, we have a confirmed interview. Confirmed by Les himself at a freeking press conference. Then we have LSU's AD issuing a statement a day about Les staying and praising Les for all the great work he has done.
I just don't get it. Either (1) Les and his AD are enjoying the same supply of grass (which Les is eating and his AD is smoking, obviously), or there is something going on.
The problem is that I can't figure out what that something is. Does this strange behavior make it more likely that Les is coming and that he and his AD are both doing their own weird version of negotiation / CYA via media? Or, is it more likely that Les is doing DB a solid by taking some public heat off of the real candidate, who will be revealed at halftime of the M-OSU MBB game - lights dim, DB confidently swaggers out to center court, "Ladies and gentlemen, Michigan faithful everywhere, Michigan football will be returning to glory and I am proud to introduce the man who will take us there." (fans erupt, lights flashing, hail to the victors breaks out) . . . "Ladies and Gentlemen - your new coach of the Michigan Football Wolverines - Bill Belichick!!"
Ok, sorry, I got carried away in a daydream brought on by too much F5 and not enough sleep. But you get the point. Could the whole public Les thing be a huge headfake?