To consider LSU coach Les Miles an unorthodox human being would be slightly generous.
 
The man known as the “Mad Hatter” takes more risks than a Full Tilt poker player, even though he contends he hasn’t done anything “50 or 60 high school coaches in this state wouldn’t do.”
 
And to top things off, he enjoys eating grass.
 
Quirky, peculiar and bizarre, and even genius, can all be used to describe the man under the “hat” — including his recruiting tendencies.  
 
While most schools have a specific system to which they recruit — a la Oregon’s spread offense, Georgia Tech’s triple option and Alabama’s traditional pro-sets — Miles and his coaching staff do the absolute opposite.
 
“They obviously aren’t recruiting to fit a certain mold, they are recruiting a lot of different types of guys basically just saying whichever one works out best,” said local ESPN radio host Matt Moscona.
 
But Miles has gotten away with it his whole career.
 
His current record at LSU is a sparkling 61-16, good enough for the fifth-most wins since 2005 (three behind Ohio State’s Jim Tressel, Florida’s Urban Meyer and TCU’s Gary Patterson, who all have 64).  
 
Moscona agreed Miles’ hodgepodge tendencies have been hard to argue against, saying “it’s not necessarily an entirely negative thing,” as did Shea Dixon, managing editor of TigerSportsDigest.com
 
“Obviously it’s worked for him,” Dixon said. “He’s probably gambled with players and tried to bring in the best talent and fit them in somewhere when they get there. Who says that’s not a bad strategy? It’s gotten him some wins the past few years.”
 
Despite the recent trend, Dixon thinks Miles’ recruiting style is a thing of the past.
 
Former prized Georgia quarterback Zach Mettenberger is close to committing to LSU to be its signal caller of the future.
 
With that, Dixon said to look for LSU to establish a pro-style offense and recruit precisely to a more traditional system.
 
“My opinion is we’re going to see a trend to more of a power system where they run the ball and set up for the play action,” he said. “I just feel that because they’ve stacked the past couple running back classes so heavy with a slew of backs.”
 
Miles has had an average recruiting class rank of No. 6 since coming to LSU in 2005, according to Rivals.com.
 
Of the five recruiting classes Miles’ has reeled in, only one has been outside of the top 10 (No. 11 in 2008).  
 
Maybe the most successful thing Miles has been able to accomplish is the ability to find and develop hidden talent.
 
Miles played a major role in the progression of former Tigers Jacob Hester (2-star recruit), Glenn Dorsey (4-star), Tyson Jackson (3-star) and Brandon LaFell (3-star) — though former LSU coach Nick Saban originally recruited them.
 
Dorsey and Jackson were both first round picks, and LaFell and Hester both went in the third round.
 
“Anybody he recruits, he certainly feels that if they are a good enough athlete, they can adjust to the scheme,” said Rene Nadeau, college football analyst for ESPN and TigerVision.
 
In the past few seasons, Miles has transformed several defensive players into viable offensive linemen.  
 
Senior tackle Joseph Barksdale and junior guard Will Blackwell were originally recruited as defensive tackles.
 
Backup sophomore tight end Chase Clement started his career as a defensive lineman.
However, it hasn’t been all blue skies for Miles.
 
Those transitions were needed in order to have any substance on the offensive line because Miles hasn’t always been successful bringing in quality talent.
 
“If there is one area where Les Miles and his staff have struggled it has been on the offensive line,”  Moscona said. “It is bizarre considering he’s a former lineman. They’ve swung and missed on a lot of offensive line recruits and had a lot of guys transfer.”
 
Since 2007, LSU has lost linemen Jarvis Jones, Ernest McCoy, Cordian Hagans, Thomas Parsons, Clay Spencer, Carneal Ainsworth, and Stavion Lowe for various reasons.
 
“You feel it the most at the offensive line because it takes a while to develop,” Nadeau said. “You’re allowed less mistakes at offensive line than any other position. If one guys leaves, you lose more at that position.”
 
 
 
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Contact Sean Isabella and [email protected]