He’s long been The Quotable Les Miles, but this season, the LSU coach has become The Danceable Les Miles.
Between his Shake N’ Bake silliness after the North Texas game and his bowling impression during his Ole Miss postgame rant, Miles is college football’s most GIF-able coach.
But when the cameras aren’t wholly focused on him, Miles has been known to turn those body flails into full-blown dance moves.
This begs the question: What gets Les grooving?
Miles cited Flo Rida’s “Good Feeling” as his pregame jam but said music doesn’t always cut it for him.
“It’ll take more than songs to get me dancing,” Miles said.
Those around the program say that’s not strictly true. Players said the dancing just comes with a different swagger than they’re used to seeing.
“Well, my dog has epilepsy,” said junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger. “So I guess my dog having a seizure is equivalent to Coach Miles’ dancing. It’s not pretty.”
Receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Kadron Boone weren’t as harsh on their coach’s dance moves.
Several players said they’ve seen Les getting down to “Gold Digger” by Kanye West and Beckham had to needle him about it, even though he was happy to see Miles let loose.
Boone said Miles’ moves aren’t embarrassing, but they are brimming with “a distinct flavor.”
“Coach is just hilarious when he starts bobbing that head,” Boone said while trying to imitate Miles. “You will cry if you see him dance, it’s that funny. He’s got this little shimmy kick that’s priceless.”
One song has become Miles’ go-to this year, though. During pregame warmups, Miles has repeatedly been seen swaying and humming along to Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close.”
The song is almost always the first one played during the Tigers’ tempo drills at practice.
Those drills and noise preparations are soundtracked portions of practice, and it’s when Miles’ diverse tastes shine.
Sophomore receiver Jarvis Landry said the Soggy Bottom Boys’ contribution to the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack, “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow,” brings out the coach’s bluegrass affinity.
“That’s legitimately his favorite song,” Landry said. “If he doesn’t clap along or sing to that, I’m shocked, because it’s his jam.”
Mettenberger said James Brown and MC Hammer are also practice staples, adding that Miles’ mixtape skills appease the players — but he could probably go without ever hearing “Good Feeling” again.
Highlighting Miles’ eclectic preferences, associate sports information director Jake Terry said the coach often rolls around campus with hip-hop blaring in his car.
“He’s an open-minded guy and likes a lot of different genres,” Terry said. “He can’t help but hear the new stuff being around young guys and in all the stadiums. Les is cooler than people think.”
Beyond the hip-hop genre, there’s still one song guaranteed to get the famous “Les Clap” out of Miles: Garth Brooks’ “Callin’ Baton Rouge.”
A staple of the LSU pregame and a de facto Tiger anthem, it’s the only tune Miles may admit to dancing to.
“Obviously, that’s the big song for me,” Miles said with a sly chuckle. “It’s hard not to shake a little to that one.”
