This year's already wild coaching carousel could get even crazier as LSU coach Les Miles' job security is being called into question.
It started with a report from the Advocate this week that Miles would be coaching for his job in the final two weeks of the season. On Friday night, the Advertiser spoke with LSU Board of Supervisors member Ronald Anderson, who said that Miles' status needs to be evaluated no matter the outcome of the last two games.
“I think if he wins the next two games, it’s still something that needs to be looked at,” Anderson said Friday. “It’s the way they lost the two games.”
LSU's last two games this season come against No. 22 Ole Miss and unranked Texas A&M; victories in those may apparently not be enough to save his job.
"If he wins them both, that complicates it,” said Anderson, who has served on the board on and off since 1997. “That’s my opinion. It’s not just the number of losses, but the quality of the losses. The next two games are really important to deciding the future of the program. And you’ve got to look at the progress of the program from the standpoint of a number of years.”
Anderson clearly is frustrated by the way LSU was beaten handily by Alabama and Arkansas in consecutive weeks. While the losses were disappointing after being ranked No. 2 in the country, the timing of these rumors is a bit strange.
Miles, with the second most wins (110) and second best coaching record (.780) in LSU history, finds himself squarely on the hot seat after a 7-2 start to the season. Not only have the Tigers had a good deal of success on the field in 2015, Miles and his staff currently have the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation for 2016, according to 247Sports.
Should LSU actually decide to move on from Miles after this season, it would be the 12th head coaching vacancy to come open -- eighth in the Power Five -- and Miles would become one of the hottest candidates on the market.
Firing Miles before Dec. 31 would cost LSU $15 million in buyout money, while letting him go after Jan. 1 would bring that buyout down to $12.9 million. Miles is currently under contract through 2019 and makes $4.3 million annually.
