Oregon State coaching opening interests Les Miles

Another college football job opening means another opportunity for Les Miles.

Multiple sources indicate that the former LSU head coach is interested in the Oregon State position, currently manned by interim coach Cory Hall.

Miles has expressed his desire to return to the sidelines. He is set to keep earning about $125,000 per month for nearly the next six years from his LSU buyout. Miles was 114-34 coaching the Tigers with a national title win in 2007. He previously guided Oklahoma State to a 28-11 record.

Gary Anderson and Oregon State parted ways in October, and Hall has led the Beavers to an 0-3 mark since taking the reigns. Oregon State is 1-8 this season.

Mike Riley was the Oregon State head coach for a dozed seasons prior to Gary Anderson taking over.

The Beavers have had recent success, participating in 10 bowl games since 2001 and winning seven of them. The most recent was a victory over Boise State in the 2013 Hawai’i Bowl.

Reportedly, Rick Neuheisel is also interested in the job in Corvalis. The 56 years old has West Coast ties and a more wide open offensive approach than Miles. Neuheisel recruited successfully in head coaching stops at Colorado, Washington and his alma mater UCLA, with a three-year NFL stop with the Baltimore Ravens as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

Miles will turn 64 years old this weekend. He had success recruiting at LSU, but Oregon State is not a job like the one in Baton Rouge. It may take several rebuilding seasons to really turn things around at Oregon State. Miles’ stubborn ground ’em out running attack does not fit the PAC 12 approach.

As a stop gap type of option to get the program back on track, Miles has some appeal. However, a coach likes to recruit his type of players to coach them to fit his style. That could mean a purge of some players already on the roster followed by more changes in recruiting focus by Miles’ successor.

I think that the Oregon State job will attract an assortment of coaches with major college football success on their resumes. Les Miles has been to the mountain Top in college football but he may put his name in the hat to get back into the coaching game. I would be surprised if he would be the first choice at Oregon State.