re: If he were still HC, would Les Miles had gone after Joe Burrow in the off-season

Oh, Miles would definitely have landed Burrow. Remember, Burrow basically courted LSU... and it wasn't because of Orgeron (or any other specific coach).

Burrow left Ohio State to get a shot to play somewhere. He and his family had a list of teams to look at.

LSU filled every box in the checklist;
1) winning program, close to/equal to Ohio State's level.
2) no established QB returning; Brennan was famously behind schedule
3) precedent for transfers- Etling most recently, Mett before, and as others said Miles had taken Boldin in too.
4) familiar to Urban Meyer (advice about the program), but not Big 10. This makes a good deal of sense- pretty sure Urban has some respect for LSU as a program, faced us every season. The games were big but never hostile beyond a rivalry. Probably had a lot of respect for Miles and the job he'd done. Out of respect and courtesy for Burrow and his dad, Meyer likely steered him here.

Might have been hesitance since Orgeron took over (unknown quantity), hence the other schools like Cincy on the list. But Orgeron had stuck with Etling, and Miles' players for the most part stuck with O.

Was there another program anywhere near LSU's level that had an opening at QB? Don't think so.

Hell, given LSU's annual ranked status and perpetual void at QB, I wouldn't be surprised if the Georgia QB isn't looking here; or someone else like that. We're a powerhouse in need of a quarterback. That's a nice draw for a quarterback in need of a team. Burrow has 1 year left; someone big can redshirt that year and take over the next.