Arkansas Offers Les Miles 5 years/27.5 Million...How can this happen?

Les Miles was reportedly offered a 5 year/27.5 million dollar contract from the University of Arkansas just over a year after signing a 7 year extension with LSU. Miles's agent and representatives from Arkansas both deny this report but in today's day and age, ESPN does not report on rumors. This is a serious offer and must be examined as such.

First, how on Earth Arkansas can make this offer astounds me. The NCAA has to do something about this and institute policies that make it impossible to poach coaches from other teams. Miles is under contract and until LSU terminates his contract no other school or NFL team should be able to court him. Period. College football is quite possibly the second biggest draw in the country behind the NFL and its governing body is a joke. They care more about an athlete getting a free meal (sanctions on sanctions) than a member institution flexing their financial muscles and trying to take a superior coach from another school. Hopefully this Les Miles situation will lead to some reform and change. Another interesting thing is that Jerry Jones may be the mastermind behind all of this. Jones is a Razorback and played his collegiate football at the University of Arkansas. He is still very much involved in the program and certainly has the fiscal ability to back this contract offer. Jerry Jones hates to lose, and as bad as his Cowboys are this year, his Razorbacks are worse so he will do anything to change it.

(Bobby Petrino)

Secondly, and probably more importantly, Les Miles should not even consider taking this job. AT ALL. Arkansas is coming off an awful season, which can be attributed to Bobby Petrino's dismissal, Tyler Wilson's concussion, and a bad interim coach. While it is true that Arkansas is historically a very storied and successful program, they are not at the same level as LSU. Les Miles has led LSU to a national championship, and finishes as the number 5, 3, 1, NR, 17, 8, and 2 team in the country in each of his 7 seasons in Baton Rouge. This kind of success in college football is rarely seen. Potentially the biggest reason to turn down the offer from Arkansas is on the recruiting side. Under Miles, LSU has seen an average class rank of 9th, and currently has the second best recruiting class for 2013. LSU's tradition of excellence, combined with Miles coaching ability is what makes this all possible. If Miles were to make the move to Arkansas, there would be a decline in his recruiting ability because Arkansas is not as big of a draw.

The last point I want to make is that Les Miles 100% deserves to be on the radar of every school that has a coaching vacancy or an underachieving coach. Les Miles is quite possibly the second or third best coach in college football and his intensity and passion for the game is unmatched. However, he made a commitment to Louisiana State University and Louisiana State University made a commitment to him and because of that, Arkansas and any other school that wants a new coach should consider looking elsewhere because Les is staying put.