LSU head coach Les Miles said he isn't interested in returning to the University of Michigan, and the Wolverines are continuing their search for a new head coach.
Miles played under Bo Schembechler and spent ten seasons as an assistant at his alma mater. However, Miles put to bed any rumors still swirling about a potential return after LSU's bowl practice Monday evening.
"Miles refused to be quoted on the record in the post-practice chat with reporters, but he sent a clear message: A return to Ann Arbor is not going to happen," ESPN's David Ching wrote. "He and his agent, George Bass, have not heard from Michigan, Miles said, and he would not change jobs even if Michigan made contract."
LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette told media members that Miles has said he has not been contacted by anyone from Michigan, and that he has zero desire to leave the Tigers. Miles is closing in on his tenth season as head coach of LSU. In that time, he has won two SEC titles and one Bowl Championship series crown. Miles has been mentioned as a possible name in Michigan's past coaching searches, most recently in 2007.
Brady Hoke went 31-20 as head coach of the Wolverines since taking over in 2011. However, the team's win total decreased every season he was there, and the school failed to even qualify for a bowl game last year. Michigan is one of the most storied football programs in the nation, yet its last National Championship was in 1997. The school hasn't won a conference championship in the Big Ten East since 2004.
Miles has kept the Tigers as perennial contenders over the last decade. His ties to Michigan would make a natural and likely productive fit. Yet his emphatic denials of any potential move seem to indicate that he is happy where he is, and Michigan should probably look elsewhere.
