LSU’s Miles brings in talent with winning personality

By Lee Roberts  |   Sunday, August 10, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

LSU Tigers
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For any potential college football player, there are several “dream” schools that come to mind. It often depends on where a prospect lives, where his family attended school or what team he rooted for as a kid. Though, as a youngster goes through the recruiting process, the biggest factor in his decision is usually the head coach. And that’s the reason LSU consistently brings in top recruits. Les Miles’ success, personality, trust in his players and ability to prepare them for the NFL are why he’s the best coach in America to play for.

One thing that’s obvious about Miles is that he isn’t shy. On the run to the BCS championship last year, he burst on the media scene with his unique and sometimes controversial style. The highlight was lobbying for LSU’s inclusion in the BCS title game by stating that the Tigers were undefeated in regulation. It was a fantastic and completely transparent statement, considering LSU had lost two overtime games. And he had to know how ridiculous that sounded, but he knew he had to keep the Tigers in the discussion.

Through his statements to the media as well as his coaching style, he’s proven that he’s a players' coach. Only a few weeks ago, he showed up at a press conference with rapper Snoop Dogg. (And you thought Snoop was purely Pete Carroll’s territory.) More importantly, he let's his players decide games. Whether it’s the fake field goal against South Carolina last year or the five fourth-down conversions he went for against Florida, he’s not one to play conservatively. That’s all players want – the chance to make the big play. With Miles, they get that opportunity every Saturday.

Miles has also shown that he can prepare players for the NFL, which is the ultimate goal. Since the first draft his players were eligible for (2006), 19 have been selected, including six in Round 1. The highlight came when four players were taken in the 2007 first round – two in the top six – with quarterback JaMarcus Russell being the No. 1 overall selection. Miles may not have recruited all those players to LSU, but Russell’s remarkable improvements in two years under the coach can't be dismissed.

Finally, and most importantly, Miles wins games. In his first season at LSU, Miles coached the Tigers to the SEC West title and 11 wins while also dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In 2006, LSU finished 11-2 with a Sugar Bowl beatdown of Notre Dame. And in 2007, Miles won his first national championship. Not a bad track record thus far.

Recruits haven't shied away from Baton Rouge, which was the fear when Nick Saban left for the pros. Many people wondered if Miles could maintain the level of success. A 34-6 record over three seasons with a BCS championship has sufficiently quieted the critics, however.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ...
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