EXCLUSIVE: Alleva addresses futures of LSU coaches
By his own admission, last November was not an enjoyable time for LSU Director of Athletics Joe Alleva.
Back-to-back losses to Alabama and Arkansas started to draw out the critics of Tigers football coach Les Miles. Reportedly, Miles’ tenure at LSU was on thin ice. His situation did not improve following a third consecutive defeat to Ole Miss.
Representatives of LSU allegedly made contact with representatives of Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher to gauge his interest in the Tigers head football job. However, those discussions slowed due to the financial atmosphere involving the university.
The Tigers ended their three-game losing streak with a home victory against Texas A&M in the regular-season finale. Miles was carried off the field by his players as many people in Tiger Stadium thought he had coached his final game at LSU.
In a press conference following the game against the Aggies, Alleva informed everyone that Miles would remain as Tigers coach.
Alleva acknowledged that making decisions about head coaches is never easy.
“What happened is just part of the business,” said Alleva, in a one-on-one interview with TigerBait.com. “It was not fun going through it. The good thing about LSU is that the fans are so passionate. We lost three games and people were not happy. People started looking at things.”
Miles, who has four years remaining on his contract, is still in place as the Tigers coach. LSU returns 18 starters for the 2016 season. The Tigers, along with Alabama and Tennessee, are considered the top contenders from the Southeastern Conference to reach the College Football Playoffs.
“Going through that process was a good thing,” Alleva said. “It forced everybody to take a hard look at things. It forced me to take a hard look. It forced Les to take a hard look. It forced the coaches to take a hard look. It forced the strength coach to take a hard look. It forced the players to take a hard look.
“Going through that scrutiny was not a bad thing. It forced us to make sure we are doing it the best we can. We have a team this year that is talented. Les has recruited well. We have a junior quarterback (Brandon Harris). I am very optimistic about this season.”
Decisions will have to be made regarding the contracts of three of LSU’s most visible coaches after the upcoming academic year. Miles will have three years remaining on his contract after the 2016 campaign.
Both men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones and women’s basketball coach Nikki Fargas will have two years remaining on their contracts after the 2016-17 season. So, during the next ten months, Alleva will have to determine whether to extend those coaches’ contracts or dismiss them.
As expected, Alleva was non-committal about the status of these three coaches. Neither Jones nor Fargas was able to get their teams into the NCAA tournament this past winter.
“We’ll just see what happens at the end of next year,” Alleva said. “Nikki just had so many injuries last year. That was the first season she had not made the NCAA tournament. I think she’ll be fine.
“Johnny’s team will be interesting. We’ll see how they react to losing all those players. Sometimes, the chemistry gets better even if the talent is not the same.”
Alleva is happy with the other sports. The baseball team will probably be a NCAA regional tournament host for the fifth straight year. The softball team will be playing on the road against James Madison this weekend for a chance at reaching the Women’s College World Series for a second consecutive year.
“I am pretty much satisfied with the other sports,” Alleva said. “Baseball, softball and track are doing really well. The tennis teams are getting better. Soccer made the NCAA tournament. Golf is in the national championship. I think we’re fine. The goal for all our sports is to compete for championships.”