Whether you are sipping Raising Canes’ sweet tea or watching ESPN, it is hard to avoid the image of LSU coach Les Miles and his signature white hat.Miles enters his fourth season with the Tigers on Saturday against Appalachian State with a celebrity status like never before. He is featured on radio ads, cups and prominent Baton Rouge billboards as the new spokesman for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. Miles tested out his acting skills during a recently unveiled ESPN Sportscenter spot and rapped with Snoop Dogg at a preseason function.”[Miles] might hop in a movie with Mel Gibson, or him and Denzel [Washington] could do Remember the Titans II or something like that,” said senior defensive tackle Marlon Favorite.Clearly, with success comes popularity. The marketing potential and Tiger faithful’s desire for all-things-Les increased substantially since LSU captured the 2007 BCS National Championship.Just ask Laura Kleinpeter, 50, of the tailgating group G&G Tiger Express Social & Pleasure Club. Kleinpeter and 15 members of her group reserved a table Wednesday at Walk-On’s Bistreaux and Bar for Miles’ weekly radio show.Kleinpeter and her crew donned “Les Miles for President ’08” buttons and enthusiastically cheered “Fear the Hat” with other fans at Walk-On’s.”I mean, do we really want either one of those people running our country?” Kleinpeter asked, referring to John McCain and Barack Obama. “I’d rather have Les.”Kleinpeter also made cups with the phrase “It’s Crystal Clear: Les is More.” The cups feature an image of a crystal football similar to the BCS trophy.”We have always loved Les Miles,” Kleinpeter said. “But he’s more easygoing now. He’s really gotten into his groove. I’m sure it was overwhelming for him at first.”Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette estimates media requests for Miles doubled since Miles first arrived in 2005.”People knew who he was when he first got here, but he didn’t have quite the identity that he has now,” Bonnette said. “Not a day that goes by now that I don’t get requests from national and local radio. He’s got a great personality and a lot of knowledge. He doesn’t fall short when it comes time to giving a good quote.”Miles’ actions in 2007 were likely better than any promotion he could have bought. From the gutsy 4th down calls to the “Have a great day” snip to media members, many say he went above and beyond to prove his loyalty to the University. “All of the fanfare that he might be going to Michigan and him being so firm with that press, that really excited LSU fans, SEC fans and college football fans in general,” said Julie Perrault, Raising Cane’s spokeswoman. “It really created an image for him with his personality.”Perrault said the Raising Cane’s deal has been in the works since February. Financial terms of the three-year deal will not be  released, but Perrault said the contract can be renewed on a year-to-year basis once it expires.But it’s not as if Miles is hurting for endorsement money. He’s the highest paid SEC coach with a $3.75 million salary, a figure that makes even him uncomfortable.”I recognize that I’m highly paid,” he said in July at the SEC Media Days. “I’m embarrassed by it. If I had my father alive, he’d say, ‘You’re not worth it.’ I’d say he’s right.”The Raising Cane’s deal caught a few LSU football players by surprise.”I was driving and thought I saw him on a billboard, but I didn’t really pay much attention to it,” said senior offensive lineman Herman Johnson. “Then, a friend had a Raising Cane’s cup with his face on it, and I said, ‘OK … I guess that was him on the billboard.’ It was kind of exciting.”Johnson said Miles’ ego has not changed since he became the Tigers’ coach in 2005. But the 6-foot-7-inch guard was caught off guard when he first saw Miles’ trademark white hat sitting too high on his head.”It was kind of weird at first,” Johnson said. “I was like, ‘Is he serious right now?'”Miles was serious, and he stuck with his image despite some early jabs from football fans.”I think it was a little like Elmer Fudd, in a funny way,” said fan Mary Pourciau, 47. But good-natured teasing turned into respect when Miles delivered for Tiger fans.”I hope he stays here for 20 years,” Pourciau said. “I hope his children go to LSU.”The longevity of Miles’ financial deals and media attention remains uncertain. But for now, the white hat is synonymous with a standard of excellence Tiger fans are eager to embrace. “It’s his swag … the way he carries himself,” Favorite said. “The hat is basically his trademark. Everybody knows him by the hat. You know it sits like this… [raises his hat and points finger] and he says, ‘Get in the game!'”—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]