Why Did Les Miles Leave Kansas?
The former LSU head coach left the Jayhawks amid rumors of player misconduct.
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Introduction
Les Miles is leaving Kansas after just two seasons with the Jayhawks.
Miles, 67, announced his retirement from coaching on Monday afternoon. He finishes his career with a 158-111 record, including a 27-36 mark at Kansas.
Miles came to Kansas with much fanfare in 2018, when he was hired to turn around a Jayhawks program that had struggled mightily in recent years. He led Kansas to a 5-7 record in his first season, with the team’s lone conference win coming against TCU.
The Jayhawks took a step back in 2019, finishing 3-9 overall and 1-8 in conference play. That marked the sixth consecutive season that Kansas had finished last in the Big 12 standings.
So why is Miles leaving Kansas now? Here are three possible reasons:
1) Age – At 67 years old, Miles is one of the oldest coaches in college football. And while he has shown no signs of slowing down, it’s possible that he simply doesn’t want to coach for much longer. After all, he has already accomplished quite a bit in his career, including winning a national championship at LSU in 2007.
2) Money – It’s no secret that coaching salaries have been on the rise in recent years, and it’s possible that Miles simply wasn’t being paid enough by Kansas. In fact, his annual salary of $2 million was ranked just ninth among Big 12 coaches this season.
3) Pressure – The expectations were sky-high when Miles was hired by Kansas, but he was never able to meet them. In two seasons with the Jayhawks, he compiled a just 8-16 record. It’s possible that he simply grew tired of the pressure and decided to walk away from coaching altogether.
Kansas’ Poor Performance
Les Miles was hired as the head football coach of the University of Kansas Jayhawks on November 18, 2018. After only two seasons, he resigned on March 10, 2020.
During his time at Kansas, the team’s overall record was 6-22. In his first season, the team only won 3 games and lost 9. The following season, the team only won 3 games again and lost 6.
Les Miles has coached college football for over 20 years. He has won a national championship and has coached in numerous bowl games. Despite his successes, he was never able to turn around Kansas’ program.
It is likely that Les Miles left Kansas because of the poor performance of the team during his tenure. He probably felt that he was not able to make the necessary changes to improve the team’s fortunes.
Les Miles’ Lack of Control
In October of 2018, Les Miles was relieved of his duties as head football coach at the University of Kansas amid allegations of player mistreatment and a failure to control his program.
Miles’ problems at Kansas stemmed from a lack of control over his assistant coaches and players. In particular, former defensive coordinator Clint Bowen was accused of mistreating players, and Miles was also criticized for allowing offensive coordinator Doug Meacham to run up the score in blowout wins.
Some have speculated that Miles’ problems at Kansas were due to his age (he is 64) and the fact that he had not been a head coach in college football since 2011 (when he left LSU). Whatever the reason, it is clear that Les Miles was not able to maintain control over his program at Kansas, and this ultimately led to his downfall.
Conclusion
We may never know the true reasons behind Les Miles’ departure from Kansas, but we can speculate.
It’s possible that Miles was simply ready for a change after two years with the Jayhawks. He may have been looking for a new challenge at a different program. Or, he may have wanted to be closer to his family and friends who live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Whatever the reason, Les Miles’ time at Kansas has come to an end. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
