Les Miles Coaching Staff



  • @approxinfinity @Kcmatt7 @BeddieKU23 @FarmerJayhawk

    The thing that makes fb flipping more acceptable to me than bb is that schools are also more willing to withdraw offers to someone who doesn’t sign yet. The SEC has tried to address another practice called greyshirting that, I think but am not sure, asked a kid to defer enrolling until the spring semester so they can have schollie room to bring him on after someone else leaves in fall or doesn’t qualify. Too often, a greyshirted player waited and then there actually wasn’t a spot available, and by then other schools had none either (and little interest in likely 2nd or 3rd string guys who sat out a year).

    I think the SEC may have done something like count all scholarships whenever the kid would start, but I cannot recall. Someone please correct me if I screwed up on this!

    So, kids not signing and flipping are really just levelling the bumpy field.



  • @mayjay

    I find myself disinterested in fb recruiting a lot of times because there seems to be zero loyalty in this whole process. It’s a business, of course, and both sides recognize that fact. The resources that College Football coaches get for recruiting must be borderline insane. Having followed the fb recruiting scene for years as my favorite team (not KU) is always knee deep in crootin’ you see all highs and lows of a program daily, monthly, yearly. There are people who have jobs just reporting recruiting news, its big business.



  • Football recruiting is chaos because there are so many guys. Most every school will sign at least 17 or 18 players, and the vast majority sign over 20 each year.

    Generally, each school has one or two guys that don’t qualify for one reason or another. That doesn’t happen as often in basketball because you’re dealing with a much smaller population of people. Almost as many guys will sign to play football at P5 schools as will go D1 in basketball total (roughly 1300 P5 football recruits each year vs. about 1350 for D1 basketball). With so many guys out there, switching at the last minute is common.

    Sometimes, its because a guy gets recruited over. In basketball, that may not be a big deal because if a top prospect comes in, he may be gone after one year. But if you get recruited over in football, you’re stuck behind a guy for three years. You may never see the field.

    Coaching changes, especially with playing style changes, affect that as well. If you’re a FB and you sign with a school, then they bring in an air raid coach, well, you’re probably screwed. Might as well go to a different school. Same thing if you are a NT and a school switches to a 4-3 and you don’t have the speed to move off the nose. Maybe one coach sees you as a corner, while another wants you at safety.

    Football recruits also generally form their biggest relationship with their position coach. Position coaches tend to move around quite a bit more than hoops assistants, so guys might be more inclined to follow the guy that actually recruited them (position coach) than the head coach.



  • How about Urban Meyer for Co head coach? I know it will never happen, but goodness, why the heck not?





  • Just heard that Urban Meyer is now in talks with K-State. Good friends with their chancellor.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    That would be huge if it happens; it certainly place the state of Kansas smack in the epicenter of football seismic activity. The question is…would KSU be a temporary stopover, ala Huggy, to get back in good graces with the football powers that be and a stepping stone to a better program or a semi permanent destination?



  • @JayHawkFanToo It would … but I’m just kidding around. A KSU buddy of mine is a lurker here and I just wanted to prompt a text from him with his hopes up and all of that. Sorry about the #fakenews. And he did text me so mission accomplished.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    OK. I am not sure the state can support two quality programs at the same time. Their 15 minutes of fame or Decade of Dominance or whatever they called it are gone and now the pendulum has swung back to KU.



  • HighEliteMajor said:

    @JayHawkFanToo It would … but I’m just kidding around. A KSU buddy of mine is a lurker here and I just wanted to prompt a text from him with his hopes up and all of that. Sorry about the #fakenews. And he did text me so mission accomplished.

    WELL DONE - -WLL DONE in deed lmao - - have you ever heard the saying " my job is done here lol " - - that’s for you -bet your friend was P - - - - - when you told him the truth - -very nice. - - day is off to a great start. - -Good ol Kensucky lost - -Marsha got the hell kicked out of him - - -and you got to make your ol K-straight boy look like a fool - - lmao. - - Could it get any better then this? - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • Going to be DJ Eliot as DC barring something weird happening at the last minute. Previous stops at Rice, FSU, Kentucky, and most recently was DC at Colorado.



  • FarmerJayhawk said:

    kjayhawks said:

    I think it’s a great hire, I know they didn’t have a great season offensively compared to last season but they had to basically start over up front and still put up better numbers than we did playing in the best division in CFB. I’m being told that both Tony Hull and Clint Bowen are going to return as assistants, they both are currently out recruiting. I think everyone agrees Hull needs to stay and I know Bowen hasn’t done great at DC but I think he’s a solid Safeties coach. He had a much better year this season than in the past. I’m fine with him remaining here just not as an DC.

    Ugh. I want no part of Bowen staying. We can do better at literally any position on defense than him. I don’t care if he loves KU. I also love KU but shouldn’t be on the coaching staff.

    CHANGE THE CULTURE.

    Bowen has to go. Period.



  • wissox said:

    How about Urban Meyer for Co head coach? I know it will never happen, but goodness, why the heck not?

    Even if it were possible it gets a hell no from me. He is a bad human being.



  • BShark said:

    FarmerJayhawk said:

    kjayhawks said:

    I think it’s a great hire, I know they didn’t have a great season offensively compared to last season but they had to basically start over up front and still put up better numbers than we did playing in the best division in CFB. I’m being told that both Tony Hull and Clint Bowen are going to return as assistants, they both are currently out recruiting. I think everyone agrees Hull needs to stay and I know Bowen hasn’t done great at DC but I think he’s a solid Safeties coach. He had a much better year this season than in the past. I’m fine with him remaining here just not as an DC.

    Ugh. I want no part of Bowen staying. We can do better at literally any position on defense than him. I don’t care if he loves KU. I also love KU but shouldn’t be on the coaching staff.

    CHANGE THE CULTURE.

    Bowen has to go. Period.

    He’s not sticking around. Hasn’t been recruiting at all since Miles got the job. Telling Hull has been on the trail.



  • That Les Miles is a thinker. Jeff Long too. Love it.



  • Reports are coming in that former Colorado and Kentucky DC D.J. Eliot has been hired to be the DC here at Kansas. I don’t think this is a big name hire and a lot of people are questioning it at this point. He really didn’t do great at Colorado but he was solid in helping turn around Kentucky. I also think he inherits more talent at KU for next season than he had at Colorado, which we all know you can’t win the Kentucky Derby on a donkey.



  • kjayhawks said:

    Reports are coming in that former Colorado and Kentucky DC D.J. Eliot has been hired to be the DC here at Kansas. I don’t think this is a big name hire and a lot of people are questioning it at this point. He really didn’t do great at Colorado but he was solid in helping turn around Kentucky. I also think he inherits more talent at KU for next season than he had at Colorado, which we all know you can’t win the Kentucky Derby on a donkey.

    I think just because he’s relatively anonymous. He does have a very impressive resume. Played at Wyoming, had stops at Texas State and Rice, then promoted to FSU, UK, and then CU all by age 40. We know he’ll immediately be able to recruit Texas. Also a 3-4 guy, which you need to be in this conference now. I think it’s a solid B hire, with potential to get better. His DL coach at CU is also from NOLA…



  • Les just keeps bringing in guys who can recruit. Good hire. No complaints.





  • We just hired Emmett Jones as WR coach, Jones has spent the past 3 season as an outside receivers coach at Texas Tech. Looks like another solid hire.



  • ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE WR COACH HIRE. HELL YES. CROOOOOOOOTIN.



  • Yea dude was landing like 4 or 5 guys a year at Tech. Great hire.



  • BShark said:

    ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE WR COACH HIRE. HELL YES. CROOOOOOOOTIN.

    HUGE - - HUGE – HIRE - - Emmit Jones - - -major , major big time recruiter and he is a stud in the Dallas Texas area - -radio said could already be paying dividends . - - -Stephan Parker a 4 * receiver had committed to Texas Tech – - Now Kingsbury - -is gone – Jones is gone - -very quite possible flip - for us - - sit back and see if we get in the mix - - like our chances.

    Coach Miles has put together a hell of a staff. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • Question? - -When is the LAST time KU has had this kind of Coaching Staff assembled ? - - -Ever ? - - another Question - -when is the last time you have seen this kind of emotion talking about KU football ? - -Ever ? - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • Miles has put together a super solid coaching staff so far and as the saying goes… if you build it they will come…and seems like recruits are now looking at KU as a desirable destination rather than as a last chance stop. We are witnessing the birth of a real football program.



  • I’m as excited about this coming football season as I can ever remember - BUT - I hope everyone doesn’t get their hopes too high at least for 2 or 3 seasons (or longer). There’s a very good chance that it’s going to take a while to put together a team that is a real contender.

    I’m reminded of a trip to Beaver Lake (Arkansas) this summer. I KNEW my wife, my son and myself were going to be the new world record holders for the largest Striped bass ever known to mankind. Or at least we would catch multiple 20-30 pounders. After all, we hired an experience guide, and we were on one of the best Striper lakes (supposedly) in the country. We started fishing at 7:30 pm and finished about 1:45 am. My wife caught one fish that was 6 or 7 pounds.

    I know this all sounds stuipd, but my hopes were SO high and I was SO dejected after that evening. I’ve fished all my life and I know that anyone can get skunked at any time on any body of water, but my hopes were HIGH. Not that I won’t still hope for great things, but my expectations will be more realistic from now on.



  • Well sounds like we got an addition to our coaching staff. - -Being reported that Jimmy Brumbaugh is being added as our Defensive Line Coach.

    Held same position last at Maryland , and spent 4 years at Kentucky, helped Kentucky get their line improvement - -pulled in some studs some 4 * - to help build Kentucky D-line - -would be sweet. - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • Seems like a solid recruiting hire. Connections to CCs and the Florida area.



  • @jayballer73 not so fast. Les still hasn’t made the decision yet. Drake from CU still in the mix.



  • FarmerJayhawk said:

    @jayballer73 not so fast. Les still hasn’t made the decision yet. Drake from CU still in the mix.

    It is officially Drake Kwahn as the new DLine coach.



  • FarmerJayhawk said:

    @jayballer73 not so fast. Les still hasn’t made the decision yet. Drake from CU still in the mix.

    exactly - - and your right for sure. – I was going off info I had read/heard last night. - -It’s confirmed it is Drake - -Great hire - -work with Eliot before. - there is a pretty sweet video of Drake when he was working at Tulane during a practice - -looks pretty sweet - -connects with the players well - -check it out. - the link is off the phog where people are talking about Drake - -get a minute check it out. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • @nuleafjhawk Bowl game or guillotine, I say! We are KU! We deserve nothing less!



  • Just Announced the hiring of Mike Ekeler as Special Teams Coordinator, He has been everywhere under the sun. The last 2 seasons he was at UNC but has had time at OU, Nebraska, LSU (under Miles), Indiana, USC, North Texas and Georgia. He doesn’t seem to hang around very long but has a experience and has had some solid units.



  • @kjayhawks KSU alum. No particular area I can tell he recruited well. But Les must’ve liked him to hire him a 2nd time.



  • @Texas-Hawk-10 12-14 UPDATED COACHING LIST

    Chip Lindsey-------OC

    Chevis Jackson------DBACK

    Luke Meadows------OLINE

    D J Eliot------DC

    Emmett Jones------WR

    Kwahn Drake------DLINE

    Mike Ekeler-------SPEC TEAMS

    Three more positions left. HULL???



  • Word is Bowen being kept on as Safties coach.



  • Really will piss me off if we keep him. Set yourself up for drama that way.



  • And he is a dog shit recruiter.

    Only explanation in my mind is that Miles is keeping him to save the $500K buyout.



  • Kcmatt7 said:

    Word is Bowen being kept on as Safties coach.

    I know people have a very strong dislike for him. - - Me ? - -I have no problem with him staying in a limited Capacity.

    Whether people like it or not - -His defense was better - -There was a lot of times that Clint’s defense KEPT us in the games. - -Defense was given rotten field position multiple times and people would be thinking well there is a given 7 – Defense would hold up and make the stop. Defense was right there at the top in take aways in the Nation. - -No blow out losses this season. - -so ya I would let wet myself if he was retained -let him Coach the safties - -fine with me. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • My opinion on him staying has nothing to do with whether or not I believe he is capable of performing the job. It is just that it’s time to clean house (outside of Hull). Don’t cause awkwardness for your new DC and the players who may feel some weird loyalty to Bowen.



  • Kcmatt7 said:

    My opinion on him staying has nothing to do with whether or not I believe he is capable of performing the job. It is just that it’s time to clean house (outside of Hull). Don’t cause awkwardness for your new DC and the players who may feel some weird loyalty to Bowen.

    Well looks like Coach Miles is confident enough he will fit with staff - -could very well also be he talked with the DC DJ Elliot and he also put in a favorable word for Bowen. --and felt like they could work together - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • I don’t have strong feelings about Bowen other than he’s a bad DC and recruiter. The only reason I’m even kind of ok with him staying (if true) is that it saves a ton of cash that we ended up spending on other assistants. Keep in mind there’s a fixed pool of money Les had to hire assistants. Bowen’s $500k would’ve been dead weight and enough for like 2 other dudes. Instead of not being salary competitive for two spots we bury Bowen at safeties or some minor spot and spend the extra cash on a really good assistant like Drake or Jackson.



  • Bowen is more than capable as a position coach. He’s a borderline solid coordinator. As a position coach, he could raise the level of play.

    My suspicion is that Hull will coach the RBs and maybe TEs.

    Miles has not hired a QB coach yet. That’s still a major hire that he needs to nail if KU is going to turn this around.

    LB coach is also still out there, unless someone already on staff is going to oversee them.

    Either way, this coaching staff is world’s better than anything KU has had on the sidelines, particularly recently.



  • justanotherfan said:

    Bowen is more than capable as a position coach. He’s a borderline solid coordinator. As a position coach, he could raise the level of play.

    My suspicion is that Hull will coach the RBs and maybe TEs.

    Miles has not hired a QB coach yet. That’s still a major hire that he needs to nail if KU is going to turn this around.

    LB coach is also still out there, unless someone already on staff is going to oversee them.

    Either way, this coaching staff is world’s better than anything KU has had on the sidelines, particularly recently.

    Bowen is a bad coordinator. There’s not really much more to it.

    Lindsey will coach QB’s, and Eliot will coach ILB’s.



  • @FarmerJayhawk - - thing is Clint isn’t going to be the Defensive Coordinator - -he is going to be the safties Coach - -so no reason not to let him be. - - Big difference between the two. - - got to remember that a lot of times during the season this year when other teams went deep on Clint’s secondary - -it WASN’T because of bad coverage - -it was just a matter of being out jumped - -their receivers just reaching over the top of the defense - -all just a matter of a 6’ - -6’1 Defensive back - -battling against a 6’4 – -6’5 receiver - -Clint can’t do anything on that - -he gonna be fine as a safety Coach



  • Bowen will stay and coach the safeties and Hull will return to coach RBs. I have no problem with Bowen coaching the safeties, he has done good with the DBs in general in the past and gotten several guys to the next level. I think he was popular with the alumni and has done a good job recruiting. Obviously we all figured Hull was staying and I’m happy he is back. Idk whom it was (and I’m too lazy to look it up lol) that was giving me jazz when I said my sources were saying they both were staying and that I was wrong (usually my sources are right), enjoy crow lol.



  • It is official now, Bowen and Hull are staying.



  • @Big-Clyde52 ADDED:

    Tony Hull-----RB

    Clint Bowen------Safeties



  • Last one! https://twitter.com/ku_football/status/1075518643998347265?s=21 Hecklinski seems incredibly qualified. Recruiting Coordinator, RB, and WR coach experience at Michigan and SDSU under Hoke and QB/OC experience at Zona. Also coached at Ft. Scott and Benedictine back in the day. Seems like a really good fit. We needed another guy who can get kids in the Midwest IMO.



  • FarmerJayhawk said:

    Last one! https://twitter.com/ku_football/status/1075518643998347265?s=21 Hecklinski seems incredibly qualified. Recruiting Coordinator, RB, and WR coach experience at Michigan and SDSU under Hoke and QB/OC experience at Zona. Also coached at Ft. Scott and Benedictine back in the day. Seems like a really good fit. We needed another guy who can get kids in the Midwest IMO.

    My guess is that Hull ends up as recruiting coordinator, with Hecklinski overseeing the local strategy (Kansas, Kansas City Metro, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri) while Hull works in the southeast part of the country.

    Hull has done the work to deserve the promotion.


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