Les Miles staying at LSU, AD says

ByABC News
November 28, 2015, 11:46 PM

— -- Les Miles will remain as coach at LSU, ending a week of intense speculation that he would not return, athletic director Joe Alleva said Saturday night.

"I want to make it very clear that Les Miles is our football coach and will continue to be our football coach," Alleva said.

Alleva's announcement came less than an hour after LSU defeated Texas A&M 19-7 in Baton Rouge.

After the victory, Tigers players lifted Miles on their shoulders and carried him down the field toward the student section as the crowd chanted "Keep Les Miles! Keep Les Miles!''

The coach said he was initially told he would remain at LSU following the game, first by school president F. King Alexander, and then by Alleva.

A source told ESPN's Joe Schad that the decision was made during the third quarter of Saturday night's game. Decision-makers at the school, the source said, felt that the media had swayed the public and that a decision to remove Miles would have been perceived as mean-spirited because he had become a sympathetic figure.

Miles' job status had been in question for more than a week, and speculation had intensified after the program's first three-game losing streak since 1999.

A source told Schad on Friday that LSU leadership was "heavily in favor" of a change but that a final decision had not been made and that Miles had not been formally informed he would not return. Another source said Miles was "very likely" to be let go soon.

But a source told Schad that public pressure and sentiment was a key factor in the school's decision to keep Miles.

Among those to voice support for him earlier Saturday was Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Meanwhile, Miles, the 11th-year coach, was hailed by fans at Tiger Stadium throughout Saturday night's victory, which gave LSU an 8-3 overall record.

"It's great to be the head coach at LSU," he said after the game.

Miles has won two SEC titles and one national championship since becoming LSU coach in 2005. He is 111-32 at the school and has the best winning percentage of any coach in the modern era of LSU football.

Miles said he would consider changes to his staff and the offense.