LSU football: 10 greatest players of the Les Miles era
Les Miles had brought tons of talent to Baton Rouge during his tenure as the head coach of the LSU Tigers, but these are the 10 greatest.
By Josh Yourish
When Nick Saban left for the NFL, LSU turned the football program over to Les Miles. While his 12-year tenure didn’t end well, it certainly got off to a great start. Miles coached the Tigers from 2005 to 2016 and constantly brought top-tier talent to Baton Rouge.
Miles won the national championship in Year 3 and went back to the BCS national championship game in 2011. Though he eventually ceded SEC supremacy back to Saban at Alabama, Miles maintained an elite program.
The way that Miles built a team was primarily on the defensive side of the ball, and it all began with the secondary. LSU has a case to be DBU and Miles is a big reason. The bigger reason is the ball-hawking safeties and corners throughout this list of the 10 greatest Tigers of the Les Miles era.
Jarvis Landry. player. 529. LSU Les Miles Landry. . Jarvis Landry. WR. 2011-13. 10.
Career receiving yards: 1,809 Career touchdowns: 15
Les Miles didn’t always have the right quarterback in Baton Rouge, but he was good at giving his guy weapons to throw to. Jarvis Landry arrived at LSU in 2011 and only caught four passes that season.
Then, in 2012, Landry became a reliable possessions receiver only averaging 10.2 yards per reception. It wasn’t until 2013 that Landry really became a playmaker with 1,193 yards on 77 receptions and 10 touchdowns.
Landry was the LSU team MVP that season and left for the NFL draft, forgoing his final year of eligibility. Landry was selected in the second round by the Miami Dolphins.