re: Hmmm..

If Michigan athletic director needed more time to determine whether or not to go after LSU head coach Les Miles, he just got it. Reports out of Baton Rouge confirm what we've heard – Miles will not sign a new deal with the Tigers until after the national championship game.


LSU athletic director Skip Bertman told the Times-Picayune the timeframe for finalizing contract details had to be adjusted because of the Tigers' appearance in the national title game. He said he "didn't think there would be any problem" when asked if Miles was reconsidering his decision to stay.

"We had arranged to sit down at a leisure time and fix it so it could be brought to the (LSU) Board (of Supervisors) Thursday with our bowl budget," he said. "Now the chancellor (Sean O'Keefe) and other board members might delay that until the next board meeting in January after the game."

Miles is expected to get a new five-year contract with a salary in the $2.6 to $3.4 million range, an amount that would go up if he won the national title game against Ohio State in January. Sources have told TheWolverine.com money would not likely be the issue preventing Miles' return to Ann Arbor should U-M pursue him. Athletic director Bill Martin has said he would travel into the $3 million per year range for a coach.

Bertman said he hopes Miles sticks around.

"I hope he stays an awful long time," Bertman said. "He's not just a good coach; he's a good person. He does things right. He's very humble and noble, a good family man. I'm glad he's our coach."

For more details on where things stand between Michigan and Miles, visit The Fort, TheWolverine.com's premium message board ...