KU men’s basketball/football coaching duo ranked as one of nation’s best

Kansas fans can boast that the Jayhawks are one of two athletic departments in the country with coaches in men’s basketball and football that have won a national championship.

That is why KU landed on a list of the best coaching duos in the country compiled by Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News.

In explaining his criteria, Iyer wrote: “Taking into consideration the overall quality of leadership — including past successes and future upsides — SN counts down the top 20 coaching duos in college sports.”

The KU coaches were ranked No. 6. This is an excerpt of what Iyer wrote: “We told you (national titles) matter, and the Mad Hatter carries one into KU from LSU (it counts). Self has one too with the powerhouse Jayhawks.”

If Kansas was hoping to raise the school’s football profile by hiring Miles, whose nickname is the “Mad Hatter,” then it appears to be mission accomplished. Also: the football team’s recruiting class currently is in the top 20.

Self and Miles weren’t the top ranked duo in the Big 12. That honor went to Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley and Lon Kruger, who checked in at No. 4.

At No. 1 on the list: North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Mack Brown.

You can check out the rankings here.