BATON ROUGE — Despite the courtship from his alma mater, LSU head coach Les Miles is staying put in Baton Rouge.
A day after university officials confirmed that Miles was staying on as head coach, athletic director Joe Alleva said Miles has agreed to a new, seven-year deal.
“We are pleased to reach an agreement that will keep Les Miles as the leader of our football program for many years to come,” said Alleva. “Les is one of the winningest coaches in the country over the last six years and his players perform well both in the classroom and in the community. It is important to maintain stability in a program and this contract will help LSU remain a premier football program. We are glad Les, Kathy and their family will remain a part of the Baton Rouge community.”
“I look forward to being an LSU Tiger for quite some time,” said Miles.
While Miles and unversity officials didn’t disclose the terms of the new deal, Miles said the length of the contract was more important than pay. Miles’ previous deal — a four-year contract had him making $3.75 million a season.
“This was not a bidding war in any way,” Miles said, as he addressed the media for the first time since agreeing to the new contract.
Rumors began to swirl last week that Miles was a major candidate for the University of Michigan head coaching job, after the university fired Rich Rodriguez. This is the second time Miles was courted by Michigan.
Miles did say that he was tempted Michigan’s advances to hire him, but ultimately, he said, the people of Louisiana, the fans of LSU, his co-workers and players at the university were too much for him to leave.
“My family is very happy in the state of Louisiana,” he said.
In 2007, the university attempted to woo Miles to Ann Arbor, before he agreed to a new deal with LSU.
Miles wouldn’t say whether there will be changes to his staff for next season, but several media outlets reported that offensive coordinator Gary Crowton is leaving.
