Kansas football: Les Miles still planning to coach in person this Saturday
Despite testing positive for COVID-19 last week, Kansas football head coach Les Miles plans to travel with the team and coach the Jayhawks against West Virginia in Morgantown.
It was inevitable that some coaches would test positive for COVID-19 this season. Alabama head coach Nick Saban tested positive this week, and Kansas football head coach Les Miles tested positive for the virus last week. Still, Les Miles plans on being at Kansas’ road game this Saturday and coaching the Jayhawks.
The good news is that Miles’ symptoms have been “minor” according to athletic director Jeff Long on Hawk Talk. Long also said that Miles has been upbeat, and he confirmed that Miles planned to travel with the team this Saturday.
The big question is: who takes over for Miles is he isn’t able to make it to the game?
The most likely candidate is Brent Dearmon, the Kansas Jayhawks’ offensive coordinator. He has some head coaching experience, albeit at the NAIA level though he was successful. Other possibilities include defensive coordinator DJ Eliot and recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach Joshua Eargle.
Of course, we all hope that Miles will be recovered in time to make it to the game but there needs to be a backup plan in place.
Earlier this week, DJ Eliot stated that Miles had not named who his replacement would be. Even though there’s been no public announcement, one has to hope that Miles has a backup plan in mind. There’s a legit chance that he won’t be able to coach the Jayhawks this weekend, and the staff/team needs to be prepared for that contingency.
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Les Miles’ health is more important than any Kansas football game, but hopefully Miles will be able to safely return to the sidelines this Saturday. He’s the captain of the ship, and the good news is that it sounds like he feels like he’s ready to go.