95 Days Until Kansas Football: First Impressions of Les Miles

I’ll be honest here. After all, I kinda have to be, since I am on tape saying that I wouldn’t be thrilled with a Les Miles hire at KU.

Oops.

Well - Oops so far, anyway.

Yet to coach a (real) game, Miles has been nothing short of impressive in his first six months in Lawrence.

Not only did he pull together a top-75 recruiting class in 80 days (#67 on 247Sports, #74 on Rivals), but he did it from scratch, as the only verbal commits KU had quickly decommitted and ended up signing elsewhere. He also did it with an incomplete staff, which included his first-choice offensive coordinator leaving after just a couple of weeks (for a head coaching position).

Miles bought lunches for students at The Underground. He played tailgate games with students on Wescoe Beach. He opened up practice for students and invited them to take part in drills, something he also did at LSU. He brought Rick Ross to the Spring Game. He’s going out to meet with alumni and fans across the state.

Miles is doing everything right to connect with students and even with fans. He’s also doing what he can in a very limited amount of time recruiting-wise to try to build some kind of excitement for the upcoming season.

It’s OK if you’re still in “gotta see it on the field” mode. I still consider myself to be there as well. However, my primary concerns about Miles have been alleviated. I am no longer worried about Miles’ age, his time away from college football, or why he was forced out at LSU. I am not worried about his drive, passion, determination, willingness, or ability to recruit. Don’t believe the naysayers or the Twitter trolls. The same man who turned around Oklahoma State in the early 2000s is back in the Big 12, attempting to do the same thing in Lawrence.

I think Miles still has “it,” and he’s pouring it all into Kansas football.