Les’s Legacy

Looks like Larry Fedora is going to be the new head coach at Southern Miss.

But it took some finagling. The reason might have something to do with Les Miles. Watch my latest video commentary about it or read here:

I know this is going to be difficult to stomach, Oklahoma State fans, but Les Miles did you right.

And no, I don’t mean his exit from Stillwater. The way he left Payne County was disappointing but typical of coaches these days. When a new job comes around, they often say they’re doing one thing, then do another.

That’s a soapbox for another day.

Despite all that, Miles left a legacy in one area that served the Cowboys well then and continues even today. He did right by his assistant coaches.

When OSU first hired Miles, he decided to divide nearly half of his $700,000 salary among his assistants. Then, a couple years later, he convinced university brass that his assistants needed guaranteed contracts, something practically unheard of.

The reason: slow down the revolving door of coaches.

Something had to change. Before Miles took over at OSU, 14 assistants had left in five years. That’s a recipe for disaster. Players, after all, thrive with routine. It’s difficult to establish that consistency when coaches and systems and styles are changing all the time.