The expression, “He’s a Michigan man,” is often used on the University of Michigan campus to describe an outstanding man who exceeds expectations. According to several Michigan students, LSU football coach Les Miles would be the ideal “Michigan man” to fill the vacancy left by longtime coach Lloyd Carr, who announced his retirement Monday. “You say ‘Les Miles’ here, and people smile,” said Ross Drake, a Michigan nursing freshman. “He’s a very wanted man at Michigan.” Miles’ appeal to the Michigan faithful is easy to understand, as he played offensive line for Michigan during the mid-1970s and spent time during the ’80s and ’90s as an assistant coach for the Wolverines. “Les was a great player here, and he coached here,” Drake said. “We need a good coach to keep the program going. With Miles’ success at Oklahoma State and LSU, who else would understand our program more than him?” Scott Bell, managing sports editor for The Michigan Daily, said the “Michigan man” term has been closely associated with Miles. “In terms of the students, I definitely think that everyone is pretty excited about the potential of Miles coming,” Bell said. “He coached here. He met his wife here. He fits the mold.” For all the gossip prevalent at Michigan, Miles said Monday he has not received any calls from Michigan officials. He later joked that he has great friends in Michigan but will avoid any calls from a Michigan area code. Miles did not directly deny he would take the Michigan job if it were offered, instead saying he will not comment on the job because of the respect he has for his team. “I firmly believe he could possibly end up up here since he has danced around the questions,” Drake said. “I expect, with his love for [Michigan], that he very well could end up here.” Bell said Michigan assistant coaches have not commented extensively on the potential hiring of Miles. “A couple of the assistant coaches were asked about the certain times they had run into Miles on the recruiting trail,” Bell said. “Jai Eugene was pretty much coming to Michigan for sure, so there might be some fallout from that that’s still hanging over their heads. The coaches didn’t have much comment.” Matt Devine, an English senior at Michigan, said campus talk about Miles has been steadily building during the past weeks despite any concrete word from Michigan athletic officials. “That’s all we’ve been hearing for the last two weeks … ‘Les Miles this’ and ‘Les Miles that,'” Devine said. “My friends have been joking that he’d look better in [the Michigan colors] maize and blue.”
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