LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Les Miles is headed back to the Big 12 and another massive rebuilding job, this time taking on the downtrodden program at Kansas in a splashy hire aimed at energizing a weary fan base.
The deal was finalized shortly before Miles arrived at the airport on Sunday. He signed a five-year contract that will pay him $2,775,000 annually with retention bonuses of $775,000 due in November 2020 and $500,000 in November 2022.
Miles exited a jet with his family at Topeka's Forbes Field and headed into a SUV with Kansas athletic officials. He was introduced later at a news conference.
"Since the beginning of our search, we focused on identifying and recruiting an experienced head coach with a strong track record of success on and off the field," Athletic Director Jeff Long said. "Les Miles is exactly what we need for our program right now."
According to the release, Miles will receive a five-year contract that will pay him $2,775,000 annually. He also will receive additional retention bonuses in 2020 and 2022.
"I am humbled by the opportunity to lead the KU football program and I am grateful to Chancellor [Douglas] Girod and Jeff Long for the opportunity," Miles said. "We will bring Jayhawk football back and we will do it with outstanding coaches, tremendous student-athletes of character and ability and an unrelenting drive for excellence."
Other details from the signed deal: Neither side has a buyout, meaning if Miles or Kansas wants out of the agreement early, it would owe the other side an amount equal to whatever is remaining on the contract.
Miles also can earn a series of incentives: $1 million for reaching the national title game; $350,000 for a playoff semifinal; $100,000 for a New Year's Six game; $100,000 for making the Big 12 title game; and $75,000 for any other bowl game. Miles also can earn $50,000 each for being the Big 12 and national coach of the year, $15,000 for having a Broyles Award-winning assistant, and up to $50,000 for getting the team's GPA above 2.65.
Perhaps the most unusual incentive is Miles receiving a "one-year, one-time, rollover extension" if he wins six games in a season.
Miles' flight arrived in Topeka on Sunday morning from Raleigh, N.C., a day after he attended North Carolina's football game against Western Carolina in nearby Chapel Hill. His son, Manny, threw his first career touchdown pass for the Tar Heels in the game.
Long, a former athletic director at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, has plenty of familiarity with Miles. The two worked together at Michigan from 1988-94 when Long was an administrator and Miles was an assistant coach. Current Kansas associate athletic director Mike Vollmar also was with Miles at Michigan while serving in an administrative position from 1988-90.
Miles was considered the front-runner for the Jayhawks' job from the moment David Beaty was told he would not be retained two weeks ago. Miles, 65, had told those around him he wanted back in coaching.
Miles and Long had been in frequent contact over the past two weeks, and it became clear a deal was close when LSU announced Thursday it had agreed to a buyout with its former coach. Miles agreed to a lump sum of $1.5 million of the remaining $6.5 million he was owed under terms of his buyout.
The quirky Miles has been out of coaching since 2016, when he was fired by LSU after a 2-2 start. His support among Tiger fans had waned considerably in a span of just a few years, even though Miles won at least 10 games in seven of his 11 full seasons, twice reached the national title game and beat Ohio State for the 2007 championship. He went 114-34 at LSU.
"I have no doubt that Coach Miles will have an immediate impact on our football program and our university," Girod said. "Together as Jayhawks, we will rebuild our football program the right way, winning championships and continuing to graduate young men of character."
Sports on 11/19/2018