Miles will change the way Kansas fans view football

It is a smash hire by the University of Kansas football team.

Getting one Leslie Miles to coach the Jayhawks football team gives the school instant credibility and instant exposure. The networks can trot out all the video of the former LSU coach eating grass and denying his interest in the Michigan job.

“I am here to coach my damn strong football team,” said the Mad Hatter.

And, he did. To the SEC championship that day with a win over Tennessee. Les Miles won two SEC titles at LSU, reached two BCS Championship Games and won one.

There’s no way Kansas can hire a football coach with a better resume than Les Miles.

Of course, there are questions. Miles is a football conundrum. At LSU, his offense was archaic and his clock management was, as Tiger fans know well, incredibly bad at times.

At the end of the 2015 season, as Miles saved his job with a win over Texas A&M, he bristled at a reporter’s question asking if he would change his offense.

Hours earlier, as Miles ran on the field at Tiger Stadium, he was greeted with an incredible ovation by the faithful. Those moments – on the same night – were a window into how LSU viewed the man.

They absolutely hated his offense, but they loved him.

And, there’s lots to love about Les Miles. He is decent, fair and honest and a great family man. On several occasions, he would kiss his wife, daughters and sons right before or after his post-game press conference. They adored him, and for good reason.

Les Miles is a quality man.

But, that was LSU, and this is Kansas. The LSU football coach and the Kansas basketball coach have a lot in common. They both recruit the best players in the country. But, the Kansas football coach does not have such luxury.

Will Miles be able to acquire such players? Will he change his offense? Who knows?

But, the press conferences and the day-to-day life of Kansas football will change, by the sheer force of Miles’ personality.

What Churchill said about the Russians could fit Leslie Miles to a T. He is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].