Ex-LSU coach Les Miles says he won't have a TV job in 2017
When Les Miles lost his job at LSU, many thought television would be a nice, natural transition.
It still could be one day — but it won’t be during the 2017 season. Miles told the Montgomery Advertiser on Monday that he had a tryout as an analyst for Fox Sports, but it wasn’t a role he felt comfortable in. Miles wanted to speak his mind freely.
“It’s a struggle when you haven’t had a censor button on the sidelines,” Miles said. “You quickly find out I gave it the old college try, but it’s not going to happen.”
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Miles’ daughter, Smacker, said in a radio interview last month she was trying to “convince” her dad to make the jump into media. However, she was pretty sure his heart was set on getting back into coaching.
Miles was connected to quite a few jobs — including Houston and Baylor — during last year’s coaching cycle. He reiterated that to the Advertiser after appearing as a guest speaker at an event in Montgomery.
Miles, 63, was fired after the fourth game of his 12th season at LSU. Overall, he boasted a 114-34 record (64-28 SEC), won two SEC crowns and the 2007 national championship. The Tigers won at least 10 games in seven of his first nine seasons, but the school went another direction when a 2-2 start followed records of 8-5 and 9-3 in 2014 and 2015. Miles’ 114 wins is second in LSU history.
And while Miles won’t join the ranks of the media, another coach, ex-Oregon head man Mark Helfrich, has reportedly joined Fox. The news hasn’t been much of a secret. Earlier this week, Fox’s Tim Brando tweeted out a photo of a golf outing where Helfrich was alongside other Fox personalities.
Time for some golf in Beverly Hills. pic.twitter.com/gbiLhByjkh
— Tim Brando (@TimBrando) July 28, 2017
On Thursday, The Big Lead reported that Helfrich will indeed join the network as an analyst and will primarily work “in the booth.”
Like Miles, Helfrich was fired last year. Helfrich lasted the season, but the Ducks went just 4-8 and were a disaster defensively. His firing came just two seasons after he led the Ducks to a College Football Playoff national championship appearance — a 42-20 loss to Ohio State.
Helfrich had a 37-16 record in four seasons at Oregon.
For more LSU news, visit TigerBait.com.
For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
