Kansas introduces Les Miles and credibility to its football program

LAWRENCE, Kan. — No matter who else is hired to a college football head coaching job over the next several weeks, none will come with more fascination than the one introduced by Kansas on Sunday.

Relevancy followed Les Miles to Lawrence and into his news conference. For the first time in a few KU football hires, nobody was asking, “Who’s he?” or “Why him?”

Miles brings the credibility built on a national championship and 13 of 15 full seasons at LSU and Oklahoma State that ended with a conference record of .500 or better. Kansas owns one winning conference season in 23 Big 12 years.

“The national profile of our football program has improved immediately and dramatically today,” Long said.

Actually that started about two weeks ago when Long announced David Beaty would finish this season but wouldn’t begin another. Speculation immediately turned to Miles, the “Mad Hatter” known for his white ball caps on the sideline, his quirks — recall his grass chewing — and sometimes unconventional play calling. He’d been out of a job since losing at Auburn and falling to 2-2 in 2016.

Would Miles actually consider getting back in the game at age 65?

“The further I got away from it, the more I desired it,” Miles said, and added he was surprised it took this long to land a job. “I was prepared for a lifetime to be a coach.”

So why Kansas? Other schools with more recent football success or better history are or will come open. Colorado, where Miles once served as an assistant; Maryland, which would get the Michigan grad back into the Big Ten, might have had appeal.