Les Miles Reportedly Interests Kansas for Vacant Head Coach Job

The Kansas Jayhawks are reportedly interested in bringing in a marquee name for their soon-to-be vacant head coaching position.

According to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports, Kansas has "legit interest" in hiring former LSU coach Les Miles. Feldman noted Miles has a relationship with athletic director Jeff Long, although he cautioned there is concern because of "how hard you have to grind" to be competitive in the Big 12 with the Jayhawks.

Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports noted Kansas announced Sunday it will not bring head coach David Beaty back following the 2018 campaign even though he will be on the sidelines for the final three games.

This is Beaty's fourth year at the helm, and he is just 6-39. However, his team is 3-6 this season, which marks the most wins he's had in a year for the Jayhawks. The program appears to be headed in the right direction after a disastrous 0-12 record in 2015, but it is still the doormat of the Big 12 as a basketball powerhouse that has not been able to establish much success on the gridiron.

Long tweeted he is looking for someone with a track record of success who can help turn the Jayhawks from a football afterthought into a formidable program:

Miles would fit the bill given his resume.

He went 28-21 with three bowl appearances in four years at Oklahoma State before taking the LSU job prior to the 2005 campaign. He maintained the Tigers as a national power with a 114-34 record and bowl appearance in all 12 of his seasons. LSU won double-digit games seven times when he was there, including during the 2007 and 2011 campaigns when it reached the national title game.

The Tigers split those two contests, beating Ohio State in the 2007 version but losing the 2011 one to archrival Alabama.

Miles is someone who would bring instant recognizability to the program and potential recruiting momentum to a team in desperate need of it. The 247Sports' composite rankings list Kansas at 171st in the class of 2019 after it was 61st in 2018.