Les Miles signs 5-year contract to coach Kansas
Les Miles walked confidently to the podium and slipped on a familiar white hat.
This one had "KU" embroidered across the front.
The quirky and energetic coach who led LSU to the 2007 national title, after building a consistent winner at Oklahoma State, is back in the Big 12. His task this time is to turn around a long-suffering program at Kansas, where years of losing have left fan apathy at historically high levels.
"When I first came to Kansas," Miles recalled during his introductory news conference Sunday, "I looked around and said, 'Man, it's beautiful. It's green. It's a spectacular place. I said, 'Why aren't they more successful?' I promise you, I carried that thought with me as we went."
Miles signed a five-year contract that will pay him $2,775,000 annually with retention bonuses of $775,000 due in November 2020 and $500,000 in November 2022. The deal includes several other incentives in a sign that athletic director Jeff Long plans to invest heavily in the program.
The 65-year-old Miles was considered the frontrunner for the Jayhawks' job from the moment David Beaty was told he would not be retained two weeks ago. Miles has a close relationship with Long dating to their days together at Michigan, and Miles made it clear he wanted back in coaching.
The path toward a deal became much easier last week, when LSU announced Miles had agreed to a lump sum of $1.5 million of the remaining $6.5 million he was owed under terms of his buyout
Colorado fires MacIntyre after 6 straight losses
Colorado fired coach Mike MacIntyre on Sunday after the team lost six straight games in his sixth season at the school.
MacIntyre was voted AP college football coach of the year in 2016 after he led the Buffaloes to a Pac-12 South title and 10 victories. That was his only winning season at Colorado, going 20-40 and 6-38 in the Pac-12 in the other five.
The Buffs started this season with five straight victories and moved into the AP Top 25. They have not won since and lost Saturday to Utah 30-7.