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Posted on Mon, Jan 10, 2011 : 10:47 p.m.

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon returns from Louisiana; LSU officials confirm Les Miles met with Michigan officials

By Pete Bigelow

WILLOW-RUN-PLANE.jpg

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon arrived at Willow Run Airport from Baton Rouge, La., late Monday night.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

At least athletic director Dave Brandon is keeping a sense of humor about his search for the next Michigan football coach.

Stepping off a business jet late Monday night at Willow Run Airport, he said, “Hawaii was terrific,” as he sped away from a group of reporters who awaited his arrival. Flight records indicated his flight originated in Baton Rouge, La.

Brandon arrived with three other passengers on the plane - but LSU head coach Les Miles was not among them.

Miles, a top candidate for Michigan’s vacant coaching position, had said earlier Monday that he anticipated a meeting with Michigan officials. LSU officials confirmed Monday night that Miles met with officials from Michigan.

LSU athletic director Joe Alleva released a statement Monday night that said, "We continue to work with Coach Miles and we remain committed to keeping him as the head coach of LSU football."

Miles' contract with LSU goes through the 2014 season, and he makes $3.7 million per season. He will owe LSU a $1.25 million buyout if he leaves early.

Two Baton Rouge television stations reported Monday evening that Miles and Brandon met at Miles’ house, but that the coach with ties to Michigan stayed in Louisiana.

Miles is scheduled to speak Tuesday at a national coaches’ conference in Dallas.

The Michigan job has been open since Wednesday, when Michigan fired Rich Rodriguez after three seasons with the Wolverines.

Michigan cornerback Troy Woolfolk used his Twitter account to say that Michigan has called a 4 p.m. players meeting on Tuesday.

Michigan has not said when it will name a coach, but it is offering fans a chance to win two seats to the introductory press conference on its athletic website.

- David Jesse and Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.

Comments

1st Down

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 5:41 p.m.

no Sally you are correct...the conspiracy theorists will say that Evil Carr is out there manipulating things behind the scenes...LOL, but anyone who knows Lloyd Carr knows that he stepped aside for a reason and its not his style to politic behind the scenes.

Sallyxyz

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 3:56 p.m.

AlwaysLate: Does anyone care what Lloyd Carr thinks about whoever is hired as the new head coach at MI? Carr is history. Carr is retired, as far as I know, and not on the athletic department staff any longer. Or was he recently rehired in some capacity?

missionbrazil

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 2:41 p.m.

kidmich "Now, say what you want, but this year SDSU went 8-4. Their four losses were to BYU(3points), Utah(4points), Missouri(3points) and TCU(5points). Let me see, I think TCU went undefeated and beat Wisconsin, in the Rose Bowl." Good info. about Hoke. I noticed that 3 of those losses were away games (Utah, Missouri, and TCU). It will be interesting to see if Hoke gets the chance at UM.

kidmich

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 1:30 p.m.

I don't know how many of you follow San Diego State University football, but I lived out there for twenty years and actually had season tickets. They were extremely cheap. Got to see Marshall Faulk, La'Roi Glover and Darnay Scott play. They were a nice team to watch, very offensive minded, but no defense. Lost to BYU, one year, something like 54-52, literally last team, with the ball, won the game. SDSU was nice, but obviously not a player, on the national stage. Now, say what you want, but this year SDSU went 8-4. Their four losses were to BYU(3points), Utah(4points), Missouri(3points) and TCU(5points). Let me see, I think TCU went undefeated and beat Wisconsin, in the Rose Bowl. My point is obvious. Brady Hoke is taking a nice, inconsequential football program and making it relevent, on the national stage. Two "Michigan" men are making SDSU relevent, on a national level, Steve Fisher, with the basketball program and Brady Hoke, with football. I personally feel that Hoke would be a great fit at Michigan. I believe he could recruit well, especially with some of his California ties. Not to mention that he would be coaching Michigan, the most storied college football program, of all time. Just saw where, it is reported, that Les Miles has decided to stay at LSU. Go Brady! GO BLUE!!

AlwaysLate

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 1:02 p.m.

Just two questions... 1. Does the NCAA know who owns the private jet? 2. Has anyone asked Lloyd Carr how he feels about Les Miles coming back to take over? (Lloyd must be fuming at the thought!)

Chris

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:55 p.m.

Via ESPN.com, posted their about 10 minutes ago: Les Miles, who was sought by Michigan to succeed Rich Rodriguez, will remain coach at LSU, the school announced Tuesday. "I am pleased to announce that Les Miles will remain the head coach at LSU," athletic director Joe Alleva said. "Les has led this program to many great successes on the field and his players represent LSU well off the field. We look forward to many great years of LSU football under his leadership." Miles was expected to address the media later Tuesday.

Buster W.

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:43 p.m.

Miles is staying, announced over an hour ago. http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=13822860

timeatwork

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:40 p.m.

a bunch of sources starting to say miles is staying at LSU. hoke hoke hoke!

John

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:32 p.m.

Miles is a gamble, but I trust Brandon to weigh the risks and rewards before making a decision. Miles has become a sleazy SEC recruiter who oversigns kids (oversigning.com), a tactic that doesn't fly in the Big 10. LSU is also under NCAA investigation for recruiting violations under Miles' watch. The school has already penalized itself (loss of scholarships and recruting visits) but is waiting to see if the NCAA accepts its self-imposed sanctions. http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/12/16/lsu-self-imposes-restrictions-due-to-recruiting-violations/ Does Michigan want to hire a coach who may get dragged through the "NCAA violations" mud for former transgression?

Scott

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:24 p.m.

Les stays at LSU! http://www.wafb.com/ http://www.dandydon.com/

Jason

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 11:58 a.m.

Sounds like the word is starting to get around... Les Miles will NOT be coming to Michigan. Duh.

PortageLkBlu

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 11:05 a.m.

@AAreader, you've got your eyes open, that's good. Les Miles can be a stinker at times it's common knowledge. Reader, all that is forgiven if Les wins. RR would be the toast of the town had we won. Mich. wants a winner as in win vs loss column. This isn't about integrity hasn't been since the BCS was created and a bit before. This is the United States and our kids are taught that nobody remembers who got second place. Look, if we were only interested in integrity first and winning second we probably could get a coach pretty cheap don't you think?

joe golder

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 10:46 a.m.

DB should be an agent. He helped JH get big money and it looks like Lm is the next client to get an up grade on his current contract. DB your in the wrong line of work. But all sarcasm aside good luck be patient we're not delivering pizza's here. You deliver the right coach and you will become the greatest michigan man ever. go blue!!!!

aareader

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 10:10 a.m.

Is this the guy that is still under NCAA investigation for "gray shirting", telling new players he will be at LSU for them, states he is very happy where he is, etc. Is this a "win for us" if he comes here? Hopefully the AD is just covering bases so if he hires another coach it can be at least stated he looked at everybody.

timeatwork

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 10:09 a.m.

did you see what he has at LSU? a young team that won the cotton bowl? he'll be a contender next year at LSU. why come up north to attempt to rebuild a fallen program. Hoke! come on down!

MWH

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 10:06 a.m.

If Les Miles gets the job, he could represent the "true grit" that has been lacking around M lately. I'll bet NFL caliber recruits will start to come in droves. (I haven't seen the new movie yet, btw)

NoBowl4Blue

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:57 a.m.

Do you all honestly think that means he's coming to Michigan? Yep! If he doesn't he'll never haver another opportunity and he is not that well liked at LSU and he knows that.

Papabear151

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:28 a.m.

Les Miles is using Michigan to get more money out of LSU, he's not gonna come here. They talked - that is the only proof all of you saying he's coming here actually have. He told his players he was going to be back next year for sure, just said after he met with michigan that him and his family are very happy and comfortable in baton rouge. Do you all honestly think that means he's coming to Michigan?

michboy40

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:27 a.m.

I'm not buying anything until Les Miles is standing in Schembechler Hall in a Michigan hat. We had him last time too, but it got leaked and Miles got pissed. Then LSU stepped up and gave him a big deal. They are probably in a room right now figuring out how to do it again. Hopefully the professional manner of this process will sway him in our favor this time.

breadman

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:18 a.m.

DB take your time! Be sure you have done the right thing... Make sure that you get all your t's crossed and I's dotted with a good person with Michigan. Good Luck!!!!

MjC

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:18 a.m.

Come on home Les Miles! And GO BLUE!

NoBowl4Blue

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:18 a.m.

Miles to be announced as HC will speak to fans at OSU/Michigan BB game.

Gorc

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:10 a.m.

It's amazing that so many people read this article and comment that Coach Miles return to Ann Arbor is a done deal. That is pure speculation by those readers and it's fans like these that cause Mr. Brandon to be tight lipped. And then these same fans get into a frenzy with their panties bunched up because they have no information coming from the athletic department. Mr. Brandon knows what he is doing, just let the hiring process play out the same way the firing process of Coach Rodriguez did. Go Blue

J. Dean

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:07 a.m.

Les is a good coach. He has a proven record of winning, and there's little doubt that he'll bring his record to Michigan. But I'm still not convinced that this is the right thing to do. Something about this smacks of a Faustian pact.

missionbrazil

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:59 a.m.

I am surprised aa.com and others in the media did not catch the story of the Domino's plane being in BR yesterday. There was some talk of it in some LSU football blogs with a link to a flight tracking site that showed it came from Dallas to BR and landed at 3 pm CST.

azwolverine

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:54 a.m.

NE_PA, I'm with you...I'll believe it when I see it. We've been down the "Les Miles is Michigan's coach" road before. I will be thrilled if it happens, though, because I have total confidence that he would turn UM around. He's a great coach, he's coached in both the SEC and Big 12 (he beat Oklahoma twice in his four years at Ok St), and he would not consider the Bucks just 'another game.' He gets it, and the players, recruits, and most fans would buy in immediately. Here's to hoping the 'Mad Hatter' comes home...

XTR

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:45 a.m.

This thing is not over. LSU is still making a pitch but it is up to Les Miles. Is he happy there and forego coming back, or the lure of being the coach of Michigan still haunts him? Is the challenge of coming home and fixing the team still is a challenge with his age? That is the question. Money will be almost the same.

Blu-n-Tpa

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:43 a.m.

Fox 2 Detroit just announced that they have heard from a reliable source, (Bo's second cousin, thrice removed on this mother's side, told a friend who told a cocker spaniel down by the fire hydrant), that Michigan is going to hire....the High School football coach that a fan submitted to DB via email last week. When question about this decision Faux 2 stated on-the-record, "Michigan has their schedule and we have ours. They expect us to sit around and wait on them. We stick with our source." LM was, of course, devastated but at least he got to see DB again and swap "Bo stories". There is a chance that the high school coach could turn it down. Details to follow, like those are important.

GoblueinNE_PA

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:21 a.m.

I'm really not sure what to make of this. I know Les has that speaking gig in Dallas today, but the fact that he stayed in BR for some reason concerns me a little. I'm not sure why, but I just don't think this is quite as over as some of the rest of you believe.

tim

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:17 a.m.

I' m not sure Miles is coming to Michigan. LSU is in a great area of the country to recruit, so why would he want to give all that away to coach at Michigan. If he and his family are happy there then why move? Coaching in the big ten would't be a step up.

jmac

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:10 a.m.

Maybe Miles is tired of hurricanes and oil spills down south and is ready to come home. Hope so!

obama from kenya

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:02 a.m.

The Daily Knuckle is reporting that Miles will be announced as HC this afternoon.

D21

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 8:02 a.m.

"...not even Vince can fix our defense..." is what RR said.

EightySeven

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 7:51 a.m.

@Amzack- RR had a very famous quote from earlier this season when asked how do you fix the defense??? RR said "I don't know if Vince Lombardi could fix our problems!?!?" Spoken like a true coach who has full control of his program. The point being now that RR is out if Les comes in he will fix the program. I'm pretty sure he will be able to fix the defense, hence that's why asked if he might become Vince Lombardi.

amzack

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 7:29 a.m.

EightySeven: No, he wouldn't be Vince Lombardi because the kids would not still be inexperienced freshman who should have been playing behind mostly juniors and seniors instead of starting in 2010. If the new coach improves the defense with kids mostly from the current roster, the debate will be poor coaching (RR's fault) vs inexperience (cupboard was bare - with a little key injuries mixed in).

EightySeven

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 7:15 a.m.

Lets say DB hires Miles, he will be able to recruit in a hurry. Since the signing date is a couple weeks of he will pick up a full class. The nice part of recruiting(football) right now all the commits are verbal. Many kids change their minds just prior to signing date. Lets just get the coach hired first and the other parts will begin to fall in place. With the low expectations from the RR era, the standards are pretty dismal. The new coach can always use the RR excuse, "We are a young team!" Just a question if Les Miles fixes the defense will that make him Vince Lombardi??

amzack

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 7:04 a.m.

Crustyc11: He would be my first choice! Happy New Year all

A2comments

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 6:44 a.m.

The contest IMHO makes us look unprofessional. Also, if it's Miles the contract needs to have clauses about consequences for breaking rules, etc. Which it should have had for Rich Rod. Dismissal with no money owed.

1st Down

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 6:12 a.m.

EightySeven...I laughed at that Det. News article... no D Line or LB depth..unproven and weak secondary... lack of impact RBs, very poor kickers... This cupboard is not bare...it is Missing. Someone stole the cupboard. RR's recruiting was absolutely an abomination any way you look at it. RR supporters tried to blame Carr for RR's failures, but look at RR's classes and you will see that other than D. Rob (who RR lucked in to after 2 QBs decommmitted)... there are hardly any other decent players that he recruited. But that is over now.... enough of the 'cupboard bare' talk. If DB makes the right hire, as we suspect...he will bring in a guy who can recruit well and doesnt make excuses. Quite refreshing it is.

1st Down

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 6:08 a.m.

Flasback 2007 - Bill Martin's Folly. Here is what former Michigan players were saying regarding the coaching search and Les Diss by Martin: Dan Dierdorf, one of the most famous alums from the early Schembechler era, also is curious what happened with the candidate he was pushing. "I'm disappointed that Les Miles isn't the new head coach," Dierdorf said. "I was hoping that would happen. I think I'm just like every other Michigan guy out there wondering what the thought process was that came to the conclusion that Les Miles wasn't the right fit for Michigan. I'll be anxious to have that explained." Dierdorf's biggest concern is that he hopes money - bridging the gap between the nearly $1.5 million that Lloyd Carr is making and the multi millions other top coaches are making these days - didn't sink any possible dealings with Miles. "I hope we're not setting a price tag and saying whomever we hire has to work with this," Dierdorf said. "I'd be terribly disappointed if that's the way we're doing business." Dierdorf and Caldarazzo admit they're both biased as former offensive linemen for the Wolverines, just like Miles was. But they felt Miles was the best candidate out there, regardless of his connection to Michigan. "He was my horse, he went off on the inside and somehow stumbled down the stretch," Dierdorf said. "All I know is this: the phone lines and the Internet have been smoking with everybody trying to figure out what's going on." Caldarazzo wanted to campaign for Miles - making it known that other letterwinners didn't see a better coaching candidate out there for Michigan - to make sure he was in the mix. It gave him some solace last week when he heard Martin had asked for permission from LSU to talk to him. And then Miles' chances of coming to Michigan all fell apart Saturday. "He knew guys like myself, other lettermen, alumni could think of no better candidate and wanted him desperately to come here, but you still have to hear from somebody in authority," Caldarazzo said. "I think it's sad, because we had the No. 1 guy in the country - despite his connections to Michigan - wanting to come here."

EightySeven

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 5:49 a.m.

Whoever the new coach might be (Les Miles) they are walking into a turn-key operation! The cupboards won't be bare like when L.C. left. Who saw the article over the weekend in Detroit News that said just that. It claimed the program is left with much player talent. Regardless lets name the new Coach and get this program fixed and back on the national stage.

1st Down

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 5:34 a.m.

tater...the next contest will be to see who gets to win the right to bury a commerative Rich Rod "All In Hold the Rope" T-Shirt under the 50 yard line at Michigan stadium. Good luck!

1st Down

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 5:33 a.m.

Its on Dominos. Part of his package was that he would get use of the corporate Jet for a specified period of time.

heresmine

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 2:56 a.m.

Hey? A private jet? Seriously? Who paid for that?

XTR

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 1:42 a.m.

Miles prepared statement at the LSU press con says that he is happy there and that his family is comfortable in BR. Is it saying that he is not leaving or is he misleading LSU that DB and Les will be meeting that night?

Crustyc11

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:49 a.m.

Then why was Chris Peterson in town?

obama from kenya

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:47 a.m.

I still think it will be a surprise hire of Algore. Denard Robinson fits perfectly in his Twisty Bulb offense, and true freshmen are no hinderence in running his Carbon Footprint defense. If he can only locate Manbearpig to be the special teams coach a Big Ten title is ours next season.

1st Down

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:43 a.m.

Rich Rod...if Woolfolk can make it back, JT and he would be decent but not shut down corners...we need someone to step up there... our safeties have potential, but were so awfully coached by your buddy Tony G... hopefully the next staff can teach them how to read plays and stay home... We are still thin up front... and LBs will be a challenge... hopefully Les can pull a couple of beefy DL out of his hat in the last 2 weeks of recruiting to help bolster this class and prep for 012.

aarox

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:42 a.m.

I agree. Les will come. Les is a Michigan Man, and Michigan Men follow the money. QED.

a2miguy

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:26 a.m.

@Rich Rodriguez Check the label in their jerseys: PROPERTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Buster W.

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:19 a.m.

This is such a done deal. Miles announcement no later than Wednesday.

tblant527

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:18 a.m.

@1st down, In all seriousness, I am a huge Wolverine fan. Just look past the R.R. handle. I believe that some of the players on this roster will be above average with proper coaching. J.T. Floyd for example, he has all of the necessary tools to be a very good cornerback in Ann Arbor. I'm not sure if Les Miles will be able to turn him into Patrick Peterson, but, he should be able to convince him that he could be an NFL cornerback. Maybe now that some of the football alumni will be welcomed with open arms here, Charles Woodson might be able to help him get that done. I don't really care who that hire is, I just feel it's time to restore the established order in the Big 10. Little brother has been getting out of line lately, It's time for one of those beatings that only a big brother can give out. (Being the youngest of three boys, I know that feeling all to well.) Go Blue!

BigWolverine13

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 12:06 a.m.

It would be good to get this done (whoever is chosen) by the end of this week to salvage what we can from this years recruiting class.

1st Down

Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : midnight

Melanie Maxwell does rock..her photo of Koger in the fog at the bowl game was epic.

1st Down

Mon, Jan 10, 2011 : 11:59 p.m.

You mean your small, soft, defensive recruits that made up the worst defense in Michigan history....yeah thanks Rich for those! Bye.

doctrsnoop

Mon, Jan 10, 2011 : 11:59 p.m.

Have nothing to add from a sports standpoint, but as a photographer I have to commend Melanie Maxwell for some major effort for taking that photo. Thats some serious effort for not a terribly glamorous photo, and I'm pretty sure she's not getting paid the big bucks to do so.

byron

Mon, Jan 10, 2011 : 11:48 p.m.

insightman. totally agree. Also, you can see Brandon is working this whole thing accroding to hoyle. He canned RR, after Stanfords game in order not to create a buzz before Stanfords game otherwise the whole conversation Sunday and Monday would have been unreal for Harbaugh going into their monday night game. When he bolted for the NFL, then choice number 2 was Miles. Unfortunetly he had a game on Friday, again out of respect Brandon waits until their game is done before talking to Miles and creating a buzz before their game. So as anxious as we all are and wondering WTH Brandon is doing, he is just following proper protocal. Theirs no question now that Miles is the man and thier really is not a third choice lined up. If he has to go to Hoke he will. He can say to all the UM alum, Hey we wanted Harbaugh, he bolted, we wanted Miles, he chose to stay. I believe their is noone else in the hopper but HOKE after Miles. The Herd was so funny today, just beating down UM saying not the job it once was and now we are down to the popcorn vendor from Tiger stadium, very funny

Adam

Mon, Jan 10, 2011 : 11:46 p.m.

Well this sounds pretty definite out of all the articles I have read over the past week a lot of murky waters but I think we just bought the best coach available in the country...GO BLUE!!! We deserve to get back to glory 3 painful years of losing was way way way to long...

Marshall Applewhite

Mon, Jan 10, 2011 : 11:25 p.m.

Welcome back home, Les Miles!

Insightman

Mon, Jan 10, 2011 : 11:24 p.m.

I believe Brandon is terrified of selecting Hoke and having him flop like RichRod. Now that money is no object, he feels he has to take Miles so he can claim he didn't gamble and grabbed the best guy left in the dwindling pool of coaches willing to come to Ann Arbor.