The NCAA on Thursday issued its ruling regarding several recruiting violations by LSU's men's basketball and football teams.
Both programs received a lump penalty — three years probation — because they went through the NCAA's Independent Resolution Panel. Neither was hit with a lack of institutional control charge or postseason ban.
Former basketball coach Will Wade, now at McNeese, also received a 10-game suspension and two-year show-cause penalty. But the person most impacted in the process is former LSU football coach Les Miles, who has not been associated with the program since 2016.
As part of an attempt to mitigate NCAA penalties, LSU vacated 37 wins during Miles' tenure. The NCAA fully accepted LSU football's self-imposed penalty, among others, meaning the wins he accrued in those seasons were vacated (not forfeited). As a result, the NCAA officially recognizes LSU as having gone 0-14 from 2012 through 2015.
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Why does that matter? Because with those wins vacated, Miles is no longer eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame. Here's everything you need to know about the NCAA's proceedings, how it affects Miles, and why he's no longer a hall of fame-eligible coach:
What did Les Miles do?
LSU self-imposed several penalties — including the 37 vacated wins — after former offensive lineman Vadal Alexander was found to be ineligible during his time with the program from 2012 through 2015.
Though Miles wasn't explicitly mentioned as part of the panel's decision, the violation — a Level I infraction — occurred during his tenure, hence the vacated wins.
According to the panel's decision, as reported by The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.), Alexander was ineligible to play because his father received $180,150 in embezzled funds from John Paul Funes, the former head of Our Lady of the Lake Foundation of Baton Rouge.
Funes also offered Alexander's mother a job at the namesake hospital, while his father received recurring payments for five years despite working no more than five events. The panel determined LSU did not properly monitor Funes and his involvement with the team.
"The institution (LSU) did not become aware of, nor report, (Alexander’s) ineligibility to the NCAA until November 2018,” the NCAA's case document stated, “and (Funes) continued to be a representative of athletics interests until Oct. 1, 2020.”
The NCAA only enacted a three-year probationary period on the program. It will begin in September following a one-year probation stemming from separate recruiting violations committed by former offensive line coach James Cregg.
The NCAA said its decision for a three-year probation was influenced by the Tigers' own self-imposed penalties over the last three years. Apart from the vacated wins, those include a postseason ban in 2020; reduction of eight football scholarships; and limitation on official and unofficial visits, communications with recruits and off-campus recruiting.
"The hearing panel also applied significant weight to LSU’s self-imposed penalties, especially the 2020-21 postseason competition ban for its football program," the IRP decision noted.
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Les Miles record
Miles' career record — which included stints at Oklahoma State and Kansas, aside from LSU — was 143-73 (.665) before LSU vacated 37 wins. It now stands at 108-73 (.597), and the Tigers' official records stand at 0-3 in 2012; 0-3 in 2013; 0-5 in 2014; and 0-3 in 2015.
Here is a breakdown of his year-by-year record, including vacated wins:
| Year | School | Record |
| 2001 | Oklahoma State | 4-7 |
| 2002 | Oklahoma State | 8-5 |
| 2003 | Oklahoma State | 9-4 |
| 2004 | Oklahoma State | 7-5 |
| 2005 | LSU | 11-2 |
| 2006 | LSU | 11-2 |
| 2007 | LSU | 12-2 |
| 2008 | LSU | 8-5 |
| 2009 | LSU | 9-4 |
| 2010 | LSU | 11-2 |
| 2011 | LSU | 13-1 |
| 2012 | LSU | 0-3* |
| 2013 | LSU | 0-3* |
| 2014 | LSU | 0-5** |
| 2015 | LSU | 0-3*** |
| 2016 | LSU | 2-2 |
| 2019 | Kansas | 3-9 |
| 2020 | Kansas | 0-9 |
| Career | — | 108-73 |
* 10 wins vacated
** 8 wins vacated
*** 9 wins vacated
Is Les Miles eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame?
Coaches eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame must have coached at least 10 years and 100 games, while earning a career win percentage of .600. Other criteria include being three years removed from coaching or turning 70 years old.
Miles, who turns 70 on Nov. 10, 2023, was dismissed from Kansas in 2020 after he was accused of sexual harassment while still at LSU. He was eligible for induction following the 2023 season, until LSU vacated 37 wins from his record.
According to a report from The Athletic, the College Football Hall of Fame recognizes coaches' official NCAA records. Because 37 of Miles' wins were scrubbed from the official NCAA record books — giving him a career win percentage of .597 — he now is no longer eligible for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
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LSU statement on NCAA ruling
LSU president William F. Tate IV and athletic director Scott Woodward issued a joint statement in response to Thursday's ruling by the NCAA. Per NOLA.com:
The more than five-year enforcement process involving the LSU’s men’s basketball and football programs has now come to an end. LSU has always taken compliance with NCAA rules seriously, and the institution fully cooperated with the NCAA enforcement staff and then with members of the Complex Case Unit as part of the Independent Accountability Resolution process.
We are pleased that our current men’s basketball student-athletes will not be punished for the acts of others and that the Independent Resolution Panel accepted our self-imposed penalties for football. We are grateful to the members of the panel for their time and fairness. LSU is now moving forward along with our passionate fans supporting our current coaches and student-athletes in both men’s basketball and football.