‘This is a good hire.’ What the national media is saying about KU hiring Les Miles

Kansas’ decision to hire Les Miles as football coach certainly generated talk about the country.

Writers from major news outlets offered their thoughts on the new Jayhawks coach and I collected a snippet from six different writers/broadcasters.

Here is what they were saying about Miles, who won a national title at LSU, taking the reins at KU.

ESPN’s Jake Trotter wrote a story with the headline, “The wild Big 12 gets even more fun with Les Miles’ return.”

Here is an excerpt: “In the first head-coaching job of his career, Miles stayed at Oklahoma State for just four seasons, from 2001 to 2004. And yet before leaving for LSU, Miles constantly generated quotable phrases, upset Oklahoma twice and even traded verbal jabs with Bob Stoops.

“Miles also won a lot of games, setting the foundation in attitude for his offensive coordinator and eventual successor, Mike Gundy, to take Oklahoma State into its golden age.

“Who knows if Miles will be able to ‘break the cycle,’ as Kansas athletic director Jeff Long called it, in Lawrence.

“The Jayhawks face overwhelming obstacles that Oklahoma State didn’t at the turn of the century. ...

“Yet whatever happens initially on the field, Miles will bring some desperately needed excitement to Kansas, where an empty Memorial Stadium has become the norm. And Miles most definitely will up the entertainment level in the Big 12, once again.”

You can read more here.

The headline to Chuck Culpepper’s analysis in the Washington Post: “Les Miles resumes his career at Kansas, the land college football forgot.”

Here is an excerpt: “A quick check of the next three Kansas football schedules shows nonconference opponents Indiana State, Coastal Carolina, Wagner, Boston College, South Dakota and Duke, and it also reveals that at no point up ahead does the Big 12 Conference plan to enroll Alabama, so there will be no apparent meeting with Alabama.

“Man, this move must feel so refreshing for Miles.

“He resumes his career in the land college football forgot, 112 Sundays after leaving it in a land college football can’t ever forget.

“His previous job, at LSU, for 11 seasons plus four games, dealt in the unforgiving increments among that familiar level of fandom that can view a 9-3 season and say, ‘Why not 11-1?’ Or view 11-1 and, well, you know. Now he takes on a land so rich in available increments that they might qualify as countless, after losing his last job for going 19-10 in his last 29 games and committing the ghastly sin of conducting a humdrum offensive approach.”

You can read more here.

Here is what Stadium’s Brett McMurphy had to say:

Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellinger wrote a piece that is headlined, “Did Kansas make the right hire? Les Miles doesn’t care what you think.”

Here is an excerpt: “So many in the college football world are privately snickering at a 65-year-old man, known for his archaic offense, assuming a rebuilding effort of the country’s worst program over the last decade. Miles thinks he can do it, for the same reasons he thought his team could score a touchdown with 8 seconds left in a 2007 game against Auburn when a field goal would have won the game, why he went for fourth down five times against Florida, and why he called a half-dozen fake fields goals that included lateral passes from backup players.

“Will this latest bold move work like some of the others? He checks plenty of boxes. Miles has the quirky, fun-loving personality to recruit to the Midwest (moms and dads love him as much as his players do). He’s a people person with championship rings who will rally a fan base and squeeze dollars out of donors. He’s a decision-maker who’s hired some strong assistants (look at his defensive coordinators alone at LSU: Dave Aranda, Kevin Steele, John Chavis, Bo Pelini).”

You can read more here.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports wrote a story with the headline, “Les Miles and Kansas were the perfect match for rehabilitation, relevancy and respect.”

This is an excerpt: “This is a good hire. This is a good hire because of dual desperation: Miles wants back on the field, and Kansas wants to be relevant. That alone makes it a worthwhile connection. ...

“If you wanted to get deadly serious about it, this is in some way about Kansas remaining a Power Five school. When the next round of conference realignment comes about in five years or so, it wants to look big time if not win big time.

“A $300 million stadium renovation has been put on hold so Long can upgrade football from all angles, including hiring more analysts and secretaries.

“Miles is confident he can get the job done here because he’s had prior success in the Big 12. He took an Oklahoma State program that had losing seasons in 11 of 12 years and got it to nine wins in three seasons. Even more impressive, Miles beat Bob Stoops and Oklahoma twice in the Bedlam rivalry.”

You can read more here.

The headline on a story by David Ching of Forbes is: “He sounds like the same old Les Miles, but maybe that’s exactly what Kansas needs.”

Here is an excerpt: “At his introductory press conference on Sunday, Miles at least admitted he had done some self-examination since his dismissal midway through LSU’s 2016 season. However, he reminded those in attendance that even at LSU, his offenses were balanced when he trusted his quarterback to put the ball in the air. He pointed to the 2014 Tigers, who had future NFL players at quarterback (Zach Mettenberger), wide receiver (Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry) and running back (Jeremy Hill).”

You can read more here.