One day after news broke that Arkansas was offering LSU coach Les Miles a five-year, $27.5 million deal to become a Razorback, LSU Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva says Miles will receive an increase in salary and a contract extension “for the next seven years” following LSU’s bowl appearance this year. Alleva says details of the new contract will be announced at a later date.
“The Arkansas situation was a sincere one,” says Miles, who addressed the issue at a 3 p.m. press conference. “Our conversations were very preliminary and fell short of any real interest.”
LSU says its intent was to address his salary following this year’s bowl game, but Arkansas’ interest spurred the negotiation process. Miles makes $3,856,417 a year, according to a Nov. 20 report by USA Today.
“Les has not received a pay increase since his salary was automatically elevated following our national championship in 2007, and he has continued to keep LSU on the national stage,” Alleva says. “Les Miles is one of the premier coaches in the country and has LSU in contention for championships year in and year out. Only two coaches in the 119-year history of LSU football have coached as many years at this school, and only one has won more games. Les Miles has made a commitment to LSU, and LSU is solidifying its commitment to Les Miles.”
In his eighth year, Miles’ record is 85-20 going into a 2012 bowl game. He was the 2011 National Coach of the Year, and has won 81% of his games since coming to Baton Rouge in 2005. LSU has had four top-five finishes under his leadership, two SEC titles and the BCS National Championship in 2007. There are currently three open coaching positions in the SEC: Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee.
At the top of college football pay, Alabama coach Nick Saban makes more than $5.4 million a year. The second national championship Saban won at Alabama moved him past Texas’ Mack Brown by about $20,000. Brown currently earns more than $5.3 million, with annual pay increases of $100,000 in a new deal that runs through the 2020 season.
Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops earns more than $4.5 million. Ohio State pays Urban Meyer $4.3 million; Meyer was making about $4 million at Florida when he left after the 2010 season.
Miles is the only one of the four incumbent coaches not to have had his contract amended or pay increased following last season. LSUsports.net has more on Miles’ contract situation here.
