Kansas hires former LSU coach Les Miles as next leader of Jayhawks football

Kansas has hired former LSU and Oklahoma State coach Les Miles following days of reports that a deal between the parties was imminent. Miles told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd that he is on his way to Lawrence, Kansas, to officially accept the position and be announced as the Jayhawks' next coach in a press conference expected late Sunday afternoon.

"It's a great university," Miles said while en route from Topeka to Lawrence with his wife Kathy.

Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger first reported Sunday that Miles was on his way to Lawrence. A source told Dodd on Friday that an agreement between the parties was in place and that it was "just a matter of working out the details" before a deal was finalized. 

An announcement from Kansas is expected imminently. This comes one day after KU lost to No. 6 Oklahoma 55-40 to drop to 3-8 on the season.

Miles, who turned 65 on Nov. 10, was 142-55 in 16 years as the head coach at LSU and Oklahoma State. He led the Tigers to the 2007 national title and SEC titles in 2007 and 2011 but was let go by LSU after a 2-2 start in 2016. Miles, not coincidentally, just reached a buyout settlement agreement with LSU on Thursday that opened the door for him to get back into the coaching ranks in 2019.

Kansas announced in early November that it was moving on from coach David Beaty, who is 6-41 in three-plus years as the Jayhawks' coach. Beaty stayed on to coach the team's remaining games this season and will lead Kansas in its regular-season finale against Texas. 

Dodd reported shortly after Beaty's dismissal that there was mutual interest between Miles and Kansas athletic director Jeff Long. The two have a long, notable relationship dating back to their time at Michigan when Miles was an assistant coach and Long was an associate AD. 

Miles will inherit a program that has not had a winning season since 2008 nor won more than three games since 2009. Miles was heavily criticized during his final years at LSU for failing to properly adapt his offenses to stay ahead in the SEC West -- something that Miles has adamantly said he would rectify if given another chance to coach. 

CBS Sports will update this breaking news story shortly.

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