There are currently two FBS head-coaching jobs open. Could the Mad Hatter land at one of them?
This spinning of the coaching carousel, Les Miles has been on the outside looking in. Rumored to be in play for the Purdue and Houston jobs, the former LSU head coach watched as Jeff Brohm landed at the former and Major Applewhite took over the latter. Just this month, Miles interviewed for the vacancy at Minnesota; that one went to P.J. Fleck, who left Western Michigan to take it.
WMU remains open, as does Cal. Could -- or, more to the point, would -- Miles drop down to a MAC school in oder to continue his collegiate coaching career this year? The New Orleans Times-Picayune seems to think it’s a possibility, reporting that Miles hinted that he would be open to taking the WMU job during an ESPN interview Wednesday.
Below is the Times-Picayune‘s transcription of a portion of the interview:Certainly there are the top-division schools that can play for a championship year in and year out, certainly I fit there, but when you sign up for coaching, here’s what you do,” he said. “You say ‘Listen, I’m going to take a group of guys and I’m going to make them better. I’m going to take what I have and improve and direct and pull together and there’s an enjoyment with the process.’
“I enjoy the grind. I enjoy coming in early, I enjoy seeing guys that are working hard. It’s a part of my culture, it’s a part of the culture of the teams I’ve coached. We like to work hard. We approach the game in a matter-of-fact way and we figure that we’re going to win.
Yeah, I guess he didn’t exactly slam the door shut and bolt it. Still, it’d be surprising if Miles didn’t sit this season out, settling into a television job until another Power Five job came along after the 2017 season.
Besides, would WMU really want to hand the keys of the football program over to a coach who would seemingly be a one-and-done or, at best, a two-and-done, putting them right back where they are now?