Tag: Les Miles

Greg McElroy doesn’t think former LSU coach Les Miles belongs in the Hall of Fame amid lawsuit

Even if Les Miles can have his vacated wins restored, does he belong in the Hall of Fame?

Former LSU head coach [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] is back in the news as he’s suing the university over 37 wins vacated during his tenure from 2012-15. Those wins became significant as without them, Miles is just shy of the 60% required win percentage threshold to make the College Football Hall of Fame.

We’ll see if Miles’ lawsuit is ultimately fruitful, but it does beg the larger question: Is Miles even Hall of Fame material to begin with?

ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy — who played against Miles — doesn’t think so. While he said he doesn’t agree with vacating wins on his “Always College Football” podcast, he also said Miles doesn’t meet the Hall’s standards, in his opinion.

“In this particular case, it’s kind of interesting,” McElroy said, per On3. “I’ve never thought about the Hall of Fame. Never thought about how vacating wins would potentially impact somebody who would be in the Hall of Fame.”

“In this particular case, having played against Les Miles, and having played against the teams that he was coaching against? I have a tremendous amount of respect for the amount of intensity that his teams played with. He obviously did a great job recruiting, did a great job of making sure his teams were physical, tough, and not a team that you ever wanted to play against. When I think about, like, the best of all time, when I think Hall of Fame? I think best of all time – personal opinion. Best coaches of all time and I’ve never thought of Les Miles as one of the best of all time – personal opinion. I know records and things like that would indicate otherwise.”

McElroy even said he thinks the required win percentage should be higher than 60%.

“I personally believe, when we think about the Hall of Fame, why is the threshold at 60% for a Hall of Fame coach?” McElroy asked. “Shouldn’t it be like 75% or 80% perhaps? I don’t know. What’s a going rate for a Hall of Fame coach, an all-time great? Winning a national championship – that would have you in the mix. Is the threshold really just 60%? That, to me, seems outrageously low.

“I would maybe advise the Hall of Fame to increase that threshold because I don’t just want every run of the mill coach that went 7-5 – if you go 7-5 in your whole career, you’re on the fringe of Hall of Fame-status. That, to me, is not good enough. I know you’ve got to win x-amount of games too – 100 wins or whatever it is but goodness gracious.”

If Miles’ lawsuit is unsuccessful, this discussion won’t matter unless he’s able to secure a special exemption. But even if he can have the wins successfully restored to his record and gain eligibility, there’s still the matter of him being voted in.

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Les Miles suing LSU over vacated wins during his tenure

Les Miles currently sits at a 59.7% career win percentage, just shy of the College Football Hall of Fame’s required 60% threshold.

Former LSU coach [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] is back in the news as he has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the university over the 37 vacated wins from his time in Baton Rouge, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

Miles, who was fired by the Tigers in 2016 and last coached at Kansas from 2019-20, now has an official career record of 108-73. That puts him at a career winning percentage of 59.7%, just 0.3% away from the required 60% threshold to be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame.

The 37 wins come from the 2012-15 seasons when LSU was determined to have used an ineligible player in [autotag]Vadal Alexander[/autotag]. Those wins were vacated in 2023.

If Miles’ lawsuit is unsuccessful in getting the vacated wins restored to his coaching record, he would require a special exemption to be allowed in the College Football Hall of Fame.

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Watch former LSU QB Danny Etling throw UFL touchdown

Former LSU quarterback Danny Etling is getting his chance in the UFL and looked good on Saturday.

After bouncing around the NFL, former LSU quarterback [autotag]Danny Etling[/autotag] has a new professional home in the UFL.

He made a splash over the weekend, starting a game for the Michigan Panthers. Etling went 16/31 and threw for 195 yards along with a touchdown. He added 36 yards on the ground while averaging nine yards per carry.

Etling’s touchdown came with 6:31 to go in the second quarter. Off of play action, he was flushed left but navigated the pressure to step up and find Siaosi Mariner for a 46-yard touchdown.

The score put Michigan up 10 on the Birmingham Stallions, but that would be the Panthers’ final touchdown. The Stallions came back to grab the lead and with a few seconds to go, Michigan missed a field goal that would have secured the win.

On the year, Etling has completed 60.5% of his passes for 787 yards. He’s thrown three touchdowns and two picks while averaging a healthy 11.2 yards per completion.

Etling never got much of a chance in the regular season, but his preseason highlight reel was impressive, including this 51-yard touchdown run against the Saints.

Etling played at LSU from 2015-17 after transferring from Purdue. In 24 games, he threw for 4,586 yards and helped steady the offense through a coaching transition as LSU moved on from [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] and promoted [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag].

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Where former LSU head coaches went after leaving Baton Rouge

LSU’s had coaches get in fights with senators, head to the NFL and take athletic director jobs at rival schools.

LSU football has hired 33 head coaches since the program’s inception in 1893, most recently [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in 2021.

For much of that span, LSU has been a destination job. It’s a place coaches know they can win a title. You don’t leave Baton Rouge unless you’re fired, pushed out or the NFL comes calling.

It wasn’t always that way. There have been cases where an LSU head coach took a job elsewhere.

Here, we’ll be looking at where head coaches went after they left LSU. From the first coach in LSU history up to [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag].

Here’s where former LSU head coaches went after leaving LSU.

LSU expected to hire former Tulane offensive coordinator Slade Nagle as tight ends coach

Slade Nagle served as the offensive coordinator for Tulane this past season and was the interim coach for the Green Wave’s bowl game.

LSU has seemingly completed its on-field staff ahead of the 2024 season.

On Tuesday, the Tigers promoted interim co-offensive coordinators [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] and [autotag]Cortez Hantkon[/autotag] to the roles full-time, and on Wednesday, LSU found the final piece of the puzzle as it is reportedly hiring former Tulane offensive coordinator [autotag]Slade Nagle[/autotag] as the tight ends coach.

It’s a major pickup for Brian Kelly’s staff as Nagle was even considered a candidate for the offensive coordinator position. Instead, he’ll join the staff as a position coach after orchestrating one of the Group of Five’s best offenses last season.

The news of Nagle’s hiring was first reported by 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Nagle is a Baton Rouge native who had been on staff at Tulane since 2016 in various capacities. He took over as the offensive play-caller this season and served as the interim head coach in the team’s 41-20 Military Bowl loss to Virginia Tech after Willie Fritz left for the Houston job.

Nagle has also previously been on staff at LSU, serving as a special teams analyst under [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] during the 2009 season.

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Brian Kelly addresses LSU’s hiring of Bo Davis as defensive line coach

Bo Davis is returning to Baton Rouge after spending the last three seasons as the defensive line coach at Texas.

LSU made its fans happy on Wednesday, announcing the hire of Texas‘ [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag] as the next defensive line coach. He’ll replace [autotag]Jimmy Lindsey[/autotag], who was fired after one season in 2023 along with most of the defensive staff.

Davis, who played at LSU from 1990-92, has spent the last three seasons as the Longhorns’ defensive line coach. He previously held the same role with the Detroit Lions as well as at UTSA and Alabama.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] addressed Davis’ hiring in a statement.

“As a defensive line coach Bo brings a wealth of proven success at both the professional and collegiate level throughout his distinguished career,” Kelly said per a release. “Additionally, coach Davis is an outstanding recruiter and developer of the players in his charge. I am excited to welcome back to LSU coach Bo Davis.”

Davis returns to Baton Rouge, where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant from 1995-97. He also later served as the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach under [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] from 2002-05.

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Former LSU coach Nick Saban retires

Nick Saban most prominently ended LSU’s nearly 50-year national title drought in 2003.

Former LSU head football coach [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] has retired. Chris Low of ESPN first reported the news of his retirement.

The head coach of the Tigers from 2000-04, Saban is best known for bringing the program its first national championship in nearly 50 years in 2003. He finished his career in Baton Rouge with a 48-16 record, winning a pair of SEC Championships and Sugar Bowls.

Saban had a coaching career that spanned four decades, making stops at Toledo, Michigan State, with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and at Alabama, where he won six national titles.

Saban is the fifth-winningest coach in LSU history, ranking behind fellow national champions [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] and [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] but ahead of [autotag]Paul Dietzel[/autotag], who led the Tigers to a national title in 1958.

He leaves quite a legacy as one of four Tigers head coaches to win a national title.

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Bryce Underwood’s commitment solidifies LSU atop the QB market

Bryce Underwood’s commitment solidifies LSU’s spot atop the QB market

Not that long ago, LSU was stuck in quarterback purgatory.

Throughout the [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] era, LSU was stacked on defense and loaded up on skill position players. But that QB spot, it was tricky.

After [autotag]JaMarcus Russell[/autotag] was the best quarterback in the conference in 2006 and [autotag]Matt Flynn[/autotag] led LSU to a national title in 2007, Miles struggled to find a signal caller that moved the needle.

Sure, guys like [autotag]Jarrett Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] won a lot of games and in another era, they would have made perfectly adequate QBs, but the sport began to change.

As the sport grew more and more friendly to offense, you needed a professional quarterback. That doesn’t mean you needed [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag], but at least someone like AJ McCarron, who was a Heisman finalist and remains in the NFL today.

LSU didn’t have that. Zach Mettenberger’s 2013 campaign was a step up, but it became an outlier. In 2014, LSU sat dead last in the SEC in passing yards and completion percentage. The passing attack remained near the bottom in 2015 too.

In 2016, it got a little better with [autotag]Danny Etling[/autotag], but LSU was still in the bottom half of the conference in passing yards and completion percentage while getting shut out in the Alabama game.

Miles was fired after four games in 2016. [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] took over and he knew the deal. He had to find LSU a quarterback.

Well, he did just that. [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] transferred in and went on to win 25 games, a national title, and a Heisman trophy.

For the first time in years, LSU had a game-changer at quarterback. The narrative was flipped.

Burrow left and even as LSU struggled as a team in 2020 and 2021, the passing attack did alright.

Then [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] arrived with [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in 2022. All Daniels did was become one of the most dynamic players in the country, helping LSU upset Alabama in 2022 and winning a Heisman in 2023 with a historically productive season.

That brings us to the present, where LSU just got even richer at the QB position. QB [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], the top player in the 2025 class, committed to LSU last Saturday.

It’s the first time in this era LSU’s landed a quarterback like Underwood. LSU’s signed some legit blue-chips, including [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], but this is the first time LSU’s landed the guy. I’m talking about someone with the hype of Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields.

Five years ago, LSU wasn’t even competing for these types. The true five-star QBs were all going to Alabama and Clemson, places with a track record of legit offenses.

With Underwood’s pledge, LSU’s 2025 class includes the top quarterback, wide receiver and running back. When recruits think of LSU now, they think of offense.

With Nussmeier on deck for 2024, the trend should continue. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] is gone, but LSU’s staff remains well-positioned with assistants [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag], [autotag]Cortez Hankton[/autotag], [autotag]Frank Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag].

That’s what Underwood is buying in on. Recruits now see a program that’s developed two Heisman quarterbacks in the last five years.

LSU is out of quarterback purgatory, and perhaps there’s no bigger signal of that than Underwood’s commitment.

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COLUMN: Brad Davis provides safety net for the LSU offense

LSU’s offensive line is set to be one of the best in the conference for years to come.

It’s hard to find good offensive linemen.

No matter the level of football, no matter the league, it’s rare to find five guys that can lineup and block consistently. And if you’re lucky enough to have a solid five, it’s even harder to keep them all healthy over the course of the season.

Depth is usually tested, and more often than not, that test is failed. Even the top programs have trouble stashing competent and experienced players on second line.

LSU struggled with this for a long time. In the final years of the [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] era, offensive line play started to decline. Ed Orgeron’s first few years weren’t much better, until a veteran line gelled together in 2019.

But after that, it got rough again, and in the summer of 2021, Orgeron hired [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] to take over the offensive line.

Davis is a Baton Rouge native and upon arriving at LSU, he was already a SEC veteran who had spent the last year working under Sam Pittman.

Orgeron and LSU agreed to separate later that year, leading Davis to serve as the interim coach for the bowl game as [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] got settled in Baton Rouge.

Kelly came with his own program, wanting to put together his own staff. Assistants who had been at LSU for years, like [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] and [autotag]Tommy Moffitt[/autotag] were let go. But Davis wasn’t, making him the lone assistant from the previous staff.

That decision has paid off with LSU’s offensive line emerging as one of the best in the country, with the future looking bright too.

LSU’s losing a lot on offense next year. Between [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], LSU will be saying bye to the Heisman winner, the nation’s leading receiver, and the FBS leader in receiving touchdowns.

On top of that, someone else will be calling the plays with [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] taking the job at Notre Dame.

Changes are coming. Turnover is part of college football. But on the offensive line, LSU will have continuity.

[autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] will be back at the tackle spots and there’s plenty of talent returning on the interior too.

Nussmeier will be stepping into a well-protected pocket, which is important given LSU will be taking a step back at receiver and Nussmeier doesn’t possess the same scrambling ability as Daniels.

That’s what this offensive line is, a safety net for an offense about to enter a transition period. Every unit on this team will go through growing pains next year, but the guys up front shouldn’t.

This is positioned to be one of the best offensive lines in the SEC for years to come.

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A look back at LSU’s football history with Wisconsin

Here’s the shared history between LSU and Wisconsin as the two prepare to meet again.

LSU is set to face Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Day.

If the ReliaQuest Bowl doesn’t sound all that familiar to you, its because this was formerly known as the Outback Bowl.

This is just LSU’s second trip to this bowl game. The first one came on New Year’s Day in 2014, where [autotag]Jeremy Hill[/autotag] led LSU to a win behind his 216 yards and two touchdowns.

As for LSU’s history with Wisconsin, it’s also limited, but the two have faced each other twice in the last decade.

Let’s take a look back at the series before they meet in Tampa.