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Les Miles explains why he didn’t leave LSU for Michigan in 2007

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

It was a decade ago, but it’s still one of the most talked about rumors in college football.

Back in 2007, after Lloyd Carr departed from Michigan after a long, successful tenure, there was major speculation that then-LSU coach Les Miles would bolt from Baton Rouge and head to Ann Arbor. After all, Miles was a former offensive lineman for the Wolverines in the 1970s and had served as the offensive line coach for eight years under Bo Schembechler and Gary Moeller.

He was also a red-hot prospect at the time.

Nothing ever formulated out of those rumors and, eventually, Michigan offered the head coaching job to former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. After a 15-22 record in three seasons with the maize and blue, Rodriguez was fired and Michigan was on the hunt again.

It’s something several Wolverine fans didn’t get over until Jim Harbaugh was hired in 2015. And some have still wondered why Miles didn’t take the job 10 years ago.

One person asked Miles that very question during an “Ask Me Anything” segment on Reddit. And while the “Mad Hatter” had nothing but nice things to say about his alma mater, he simply told the world that he was never actually offered the job in Ann Arbor.

“It’s my alma mater. It’s a place I’m very loyal to. But in short, it’s impossible to accept a job that wasn’t offered.”

That response probably makes Michigan fans cringe, especially considering how far the program was set back because of the Rodriguez and Brady Hoke hires.

The next question should be why Miles was never offered the position. That, now, becomes the answer everyone wants to know, especially in Ann Arbor.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB