Is LSU's No. 1 Recruiting Class in Danger If the Tigers Fire Les Miles?

As the smoke cleared early Monday afternoon, Les Miles still has a job as the head football coach at LSU.

Three weeks ago, the Tigers were seen as a national-title contender. LSU as a unit was viewed as the dominant team in what some consider the dominant conference of college football. And, perhaps more importantly for Monday, Miles was a coach of the year candidate.

As November prepares to close, the Tigers are now on a three-game skid and haven't scored more than 17 points in a game this month. And Miles has had to answer questions—the latest coming during a Monday press conference that had some wondering if he would address questions regarding reports, among them Yahoo Sports, of him and LSU parting ways.

For now, Miles isn't going anywhere. Nor is he planning to. Ask him, and he'll tell you that, despite the reports, he has work to do.

"I can tell you that I don't know anything other than, let's go to work, let's rally the troops, let's enjoy the men I've hired and the young men I've recruited," Miles said during the press conference. "Let's coach them hard. Let's go with victory. It's just that simple."

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Miles is still the head coach—despite additional reports of Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher being a lead candidate to take over duties at LSU, as the Tallahassee Democrat's Safid Deen related—and he's still the lead guy for an outstanding 2016 recruiting class. LSU has the top-ranked 2016 class nationally, according to the 247Sports team rankings. The Tigers have 19 commits, including two 5-star players in cornerback Saivion Smith and safety Eric Monroe and a handful of 4-star players.

Maintaining the nucleus of the class is the objective for the Tigers, and that should happen whether or not Miles is let go. With assistant coaches like defensive backs coach Corey Raymond, defensive line coach Ed Orgeron and several others, expect most of the LSU commits to stay committed as long as those coaches stay put.

And if Miles' time does come to a conclusion at the end of the year, you can bet that nucleus will monitor the coaching situation closely. It's almost a given that a big-name head coach—or a well-liked, well-established assistant—likely would take over the program.

The talk of a new head coach is still somewhat premature, at least in Miles' eyes, as he prepares his team for Saturday's regular-season finale against Texas A&M. A win could silence a lot of the hearsay and replacement chatter. It'll put LSU on pace for a nine-win season, counting a potential bowl victory, and Miles has led the Tigers to a bowl game every year since he took over the program in 2005.

Credit: 247Sports.com

The biggest question for the recruiting class right now involves the commitment status of 4-star quarterback Feleipe Franks, who has made two November trips to Florida.

Franks told Shea Dixon of 247Sports that he is "taking it day by day" and is making trips simply to "check out the atmospheres." Because of his ventures to Gainesville, prognosticators participating in Franks' 247Sports Crystal Ball have made the Gators the new leader in where he'll sign in February. In fact, every November prediction sides with Florida.

Franks' interest in other programs doesn't appear to have anything to do with Miles. And with that said, don't expect a mass exit of star LSU commits if Miles is relieved of his head coaching duties.

In fact, look for a few players to continue recruiting for the class. Smith has been a solid player recruiter in trying to land high school teammate Shavar Manuel, a 5-star defensive tackle.

"I'm trying to get Shavar to come with me," Smith told Bleacher Report in August. "I feel pretty confident with him."

Other 5-star targets LSU is hoping to land include defensive tackle Rashan Gary and offensive tackle Greg Little, the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 player, respectively. Brandon Jones, the nation's top-ranked safety, also is an LSU target.

Don't expect LSU to lose major ground in recruiting if Miles is fired. There's still a lot of talent in Baton Rouge. And there's still a lot of young talent around the country wanting to be a part of that after high school.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles.