The Les Miles Era At LSU Is Over

It sounds like LSU is going to need a new football coach. Longtime head coach Les Miles is out of a job, according to Ross Dellenger of The Advocate. Miles was fired today alongside embattled offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

This news comes one day after the Tigers fell to Auburn in heartbreaking fashion. Miles has been the head coach in Baton Rouge since 2005 and has led the program to one national championship, two conference titles, and a 114-34 record.

The school’s brass already has its plan for the post-Miles era. There will be a team meeting this afternoon, and defensive line coach/interim head coach extraordinaire Ed Orgeron will replace Miles for the rest of the season. Orgeron came to LSU after compiling a 6-2 record as USC’s interim head coach in 2013.

But for Miles, this is the compilation of a number of factors and, in the eyes of some, a long time coming. Miles notably seemed to fight off administrators and boosters who wanted him to lose his job after last season. The team came into 2016 with national title expectations, but after losing to Wisconsin in the season opener and Auburn on Saturday, it sure sounds like time ran out on the Mad Hatter.

As for where LSU goes next, there were reports that the team discussed giving the coaching job to Florida State coach and former LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher last offseason before the decision was made to keep Miles. Whether the school targets Fisher again remains to be seen (he did get a new deal with the Seminoles last offseason), and we likely won’t know until after the 2016 season.

Miles is in a much more interesting situation. He’s going to be 63 this offseason, and no one would blame him if he wanted to get into broadcasting or something. But the dude is still one of the most successful coaches of the last decade, and as long as he’s up for it, there’s no doubt that someone will want to hire Miles. Long story short, if there’s a big time coaching vacancy this offseason, odds are you’re going to hear the Mad Hatter’s name kicked around for the opening.

UPDATE: LSU football made the news official on its Twitter account.