Les Miles nearing deal to become next Kansas head coach

Les Miles, former head coach at LSU and Oklahoma State, is finalizing a contract to become the next head coach at Kansas, Sports Illustrated reported on Friday.

The long-rumored move by the 65-year-old Miles could be finalized as soon as this weekend, according to the report.

Miles' name surfaced almost as soon as Kansas athletic director Jeff Long fired head coach David Beaty early in November.

Long and Miles spent several years together at Michigan in the 1980's, and Long reportedly tried to hire Miles in 2012 when he was athletic director at Arkansas.

Speculation that Miles was headed to Kansas heated up again on Thursday, when LSU announced it had reached a settlement with Miles on a hefty buyout. Instead of paying Miles the $6.5 million it owed him over the next several years, the Tigers instead cut a $1.5 million check to wrap up their financial obligations.

That freed up Miles to take another job without any strings attached, and he is expected to make up at least some of the difference with a hefty contract from Kansas.

Miles has experience in the Big 12 Conference, but it has been 14 years since he left Oklahoma State after turning the Cowboys' program around and heading to LSU.

With the Tigers, Miles had a 114-34 record that included a national championship in 2007 and two Southeastern Conference Championships. He was fired in 2016.

Kansas has gone 22-88 in the last decade.