Do all roads seem to be leading to...

[PaBoiler78]

Two major factors then vs. now:
1) 105 scholarships allowed vs. 85 now. 20 scholarships less per team in Div. I has made teams in WAC, MAC, etc better due to players going elsewhere to play.
2) I was there during the Fred Akers era...painful. There is so much $$$'s involved in football now that a coach like Miles is still hungry for a challenge. He won't lose traction that fast. Someone on here said 63 is the new 53. The guy was paid in excess of $12.9 million from LSU. He could have retired into obscurity but has not. I'd take his skillset as coach + coaching staff anytime. Should LSU's D.C. Dave Aranda come along as well, we'd see one heck of a turnaround in 2-3 years. Dave Aranda was also Wisconsin's Defensive Coordinator and had some very tough defenses there as well. Look at their stats in his tenure there. 2013 9th best defense overall, 2014 9th best defense overall, 2015 2nd best defense overall in the nation. If you also look at LSU right now...they are rated 6th best defense in the nation. What wins championships? Defense.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Aranda

this post has pushed the needle more to the positive side in my view of Miles, I was thinking W. Laf is not to Baton Rouge for recruiting but he has alot of cred and it could transform our program alot quicker.

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

Because football is black or white. We win or we lose. I agree Wilson owns us in this state. Finding a coach to put him back in his rightful place is absolutely paramount. I think Miles and Fleck are probably the only two on our list that I guarantee will put us back where we belong in IN. I don't include Sumlin because that's a pipe dream.

IN isn't a good enough state to have IU and PU both be good at football. It's happened only a couple of times in a 100 years. That's totally a black and white situation. We don't get better without IU getting worse.

I've been following IU for over 40+ years and obviously support the program and I'm not here to take shots but.....folks, I've never really seen IU or Purdue control any type of recruiting in this state within the top-10 recruits each year. Those kids go to high-powered Midwest schools. We've both lost kids to Michigan, OSU, Michigan State and ND historically. It has happened on a regular basis since the modern era of recruiting. Both schools are up against decades of sustained success by all those programs. I don't see that changing with Wilson or Purdue's new guy. You're trying to overcome decades-worth of establishment. That is hard to overcome.
IU has made it's own improvement on kids from Georgia, Florida, Illinois and Ohio, but mainly Florida.

Tiller, who I thought was a tremendous coach, relied on Texas and other states. Without looking at the roster makeup of his teams during his successful years, I'd bet it was not built on the backs of Indiana kids.
Purdue made an absolutely fatal flaw, just like IU did during the most successful years with Mallory: they DID NOT invest in capital improvements or assistant salaries. Both were on the cheap and thought if "the flower was blooming" there was no need to water it. Just let it self-sustain. Terrible, terrible master plans by both universities. And, it sets schools like that back years and years.

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

A hire like Miles will put Purdue in front of IU. Part of recruiting is parents too. Kids and Parents will listen when a man walks in and says take a look at my NCAA championship ring. How would you like to have one too? Oh yea Wilson he is a good guy, but I have put 40+ players into the NFL. I think I can get your son to the NFL too. I am sure Wilson has a player or too on the practice squads around. Then the next day miles has a current NFL player call the kid and say "I heard you met coach Miles. He really helped me prepare for a career in the NFL." The next day another NFL player calls... What kid is going to say "Well I want to just play college ball so I better go to IU"?

Don't fool yourself...

1. Recruits largely commit based on the relationship the develop with the assistants.

2. LSU got recruits because it was LSU and LSU was successful before Miles. Kids will largely commit to a program, not necessarily a head coach.

This is the misconception about guys like Harbaugh or Urban. Everyone raves about their recruiting. Last time I checked, both of those schools got a boatload of high level guys no matter who was in the driver seat. Hell, OSU was getting 5-star kids under Luke Fickell and he couldn't coach a lick.

 

[BoilerBulldog]

I've been following IU for over 40+ years and obviously support the program and I'm not here to take shots but.....folks, I've never really seen IU or Purdue control any type of recruiting in this state within the top-10 recruits each year. Those kids go to high-powered Midwest schools. We've both lost kids to Michigan, OSU, Michigan State and ND historically. It has happened on a regular basis since the modern era of recruiting. Both schools are up against decades of sustained success by all those programs. I don't see that changing with Wilson or Purdue's new guy. You're trying to overcome decades-worth of establishment. That is hard to overcome.
IU has made it's own improvement on kids from Georgia, Florida, Illinois and Ohio, but mainly Florida.

Tiller, who I thought was a tremendous coach, relied on Texas and other states. Without looking at the roster makeup of his teams during his successful years, I'd bet it was not built on the backs of Indiana kids.
Purdue made an absolutely fatal flaw, just like IU did during the most successful years with Mallory: they DID NOT invest in capital improvements or assistant salaries. Both were on the cheap and thought if "the flower was blooming" there was no need to water it. Just let it self-sustain. Terrible, terrible master plans by both universities. And, it sets schools like that back years and years.

Tiller recruited IN exceptionally well. Pollard's class - if I remember correctly - had the top 8 recruits from IN in it. We don't need to our-recruit ND or OSU. But we have to beat IU for most 3 star+ recruits in the state to be successful. We largely abandoned IN with Hope and Hazell and that has to change.

 

[BoilerBulldog]

Don't fool yourself...

1. Recruits largely commit based on the relationship the develop with the assistants.

2. LSU got recruits because it was LSU and LSU was successful before Miles. Kids will largely commit to a program, not necessarily a head coach.

This is the misconception about guys like Harbaugh or Urban. Everyone raves about their recruiting. Last time I checked, both of those schools got a boatload of high level guys no matter who was in the driver seat. Hell, OSU was getting 5-star kids under Luke Fickell and he couldn't coach a lick.

LSU hasn't always just recruited 5 star kids because they are LSU. DiNardo being exhibit A.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

I've been following IU for over 40+ years and obviously support the program and I'm not here to take shots but.....folks, I've never really seen IU or Purdue control any type of recruiting in this state within the top-10 recruits each year. Those kids go to high-powered Midwest schools. We've both lost kids to Michigan, OSU, Michigan State and ND historically. It has happened on a regular basis since the modern era of recruiting. Both schools are up against decades of sustained success by all those programs. I don't see that changing with Wilson or Purdue's new guy. You're trying to overcome decades-worth of establishment. That is hard to overcome.
IU has made it's own improvement on kids from Georgia, Florida, Illinois and Ohio, but mainly Florida.

Tiller, who I thought was a tremendous coach, relied on Texas and other states. Without looking at the roster makeup of his teams during his successful years, I'd bet it was not built on the backs of Indiana kids.
Purdue made an absolutely fatal flaw, just like IU did during the most successful years with Mallory: they DID NOT invest in capital improvements or assistant salaries. Both were on the cheap and thought if "the flower was blooming" there was no need to water it. Just let it self-sustain. Terrible, terrible master plans by both universities. And, it sets schools like that back years and years.

Kerrigan, Short, Spencer, Pollard, Okeafor, Colvin, Keller, Mike Neal, Craig Terrill, and many more...some of Tiller's best players- all from Indiana.

 

[BoilerBulldog]

Kerrigan, Short, Spencer, Pollard, Okeafor, Colvin, Keller, Mike Neal, Craig Terrill, and many more...some of Tiller's best players- all from Indiana.

I would bet if you looked at IN HS players who played in the NFL that graduated HS between 97 and 07, Purdue would have the most of any school.

 

[Grover]

It is miles and it is announced this weekend it was done beforehand. No risk of things opening up.

This is going to be a very exciting evening...

 

[manndingo]

Les Miles is not going to coach at Purdue, come on guys, zero chance at that happening.

 

[BoilerBulldog]

Les Miles is not going to coach at Purdue, come on guys, zero chance at that happening.

I'm not convinced Purdue wants him anyway.

 

[mikemeyer 31]

Kerrigan, Short, Spencer, Pollard, Okeafor, Colvin, Keller, Mike Neal, Craig Terrill, and many more...some of Tiller's best players- all from Indiana.

Great list. How many had offers from ND, Mich and OSU?
The next coach has to find these types of players. Players that the big boys miss.

 

[Grover]

This is going to be a very exciting evening...

Mustard has let me down

 

[be_bold_in_gold]

Don't fool yourself...

1. Recruits largely commit based on the relationship the develop with the assistants.

2. LSU got recruits because it was LSU and LSU was successful before Miles. Kids will largely commit to a program, not necessarily a head coach.

This is the misconception about guys like Harbaugh or Urban. Everyone raves about their recruiting. Last time I checked, both of those schools got a boatload of high level guys no matter who was in the driver seat. Hell, OSU was getting 5-star kids under Luke Fickell and he couldn't coach a lick.

Really??? Harbaugh must not got recruits and SD state, Nor did he get any at Stanford. Neither of those programs had won for many years until he arrived. The same with Urban at Utah. Utah would have never been invited to PAC 12 except Urban made them relevant. Go back to the IU sites they don't know anything and probably believe your 40+ years.

 

[boiler800]

Since Miles is not already our coach, I think that ship has sailed. We are waiting on someone...probably Fleck...Calhoun seems to be in it still...I wonder if Bo Pelini is still in it?

 

[loftygoal]

Since Miles is not already our coach, I think that ship has sailed. We are waiting on someone...probably Fleck...Calhoun seems to be in it still...I wonder if Bo Pelini is still in it?

I was wondering the same thing about Pelini or if the outbursts during his final year at NE has made him untouchable. His resume stands up against anybody but Miles. I think he could restore us to respectability perhaps to the level we were during the Tiller era. I've felt all long the Miles want to get back to a national championship level program. We know Pelini had success in the B1G it just did not get to the national championship level that NE mandated. I doubt the guy they have now gets them closer.

 

[boiler800]

I was wondering the same thing about Pelini or if the outbursts during his final year at NE has made him untouchable. His resume stands up against anybody but Miles. I think he could restore us to respectability perhaps to the level we were during the Tiller era. I've felt all long the Miles want to get back to a national championship level program. We know Pelini had success in the B1G it just did not get to the national championship level that NE mandated. I doubt the guy they have now gets them closer.

Now it looks like the final four are: Brohm, Fleck, Calhoun & Holtz. Brohm is now the favorite.