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“I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t believe that KU football could win” says Kansas Athletic Director Jeff Long in the first episode of the new ESPN series “Miles to Go: Les Miles and KU Football.” The new 18 part series takes a behind the scenes look at the hiring of head football coach Les Miles.
Les Miles certainly seemed ready to jump back into the world of college football. The first three episodes detail how Jeff Long went from firing David Beaty to hiring Les Miles. Camera crews were lucky enough to be on the scene as Coach Miles discusses the job with his family and the prospect of moving to Kansas. Due to selective camera shots and bleeping of dialogue, we never get to see the other prospects if the Miles hire did not work out.
Episode four showcases Coach Miles in his element. Here we see practices that are focused and energetic. The funny guy from the Dr. Pepper commercials is gone and in his place stands a seasoned national championship coach who is putting his reputation on the line to bring KU football out of the cellar.
I expected Long to come out brimming with positivity about the state of the program. He even says at one point that the KU football head coaching job is where careers go to die. The behind the scenes look at what takes place when a coach is fired was my favorite part of the show. With only 4 episodes of the weekly series currently streaming, it‘s too early to compare and contrast Coach Miles approach to the team will be different from that of his predecessors but we can be hopeful on the experience and enthusiasm of our new coach.
Miles to Go:Les Miles and KU Football is currently streaming on ESPN+