This is the print version of the story published by The Signal on November 15, 2016.
The Miles era comes to an end
November, 15, 2016
Trent Miles was relieved of his position as head coach of the Georgia State football program Nov. 13. Miles was informed of the situation Nov. 12, according to sources close to the situation, and he will not coach the final two games of the season.
“These decisions are never easy to make,” Athletic Director Charlie Cobb said in a release by the university. “Coach Miles is a first class guy, who has run a first class program who has always been a true professional and great leader for our program, but we felt the time was right to make a change. We will begin a national search for our next head coach immediately.”
Cobb announced that Wide Receivers Coach Tim Lappano will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2016 season.
Miles will be offered approximately $300,000 as a buyout, according to USA Today.
Miles was named head coach at Georgia State, replacing Bill Curry who retired following the 2012 season. He was named 2015 Sun Belt Coach of the Year after he guided the team to a 6-6 record which earned the team a trip to the Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
“@CoachTMilesGSU I’ll forever be grateful for the second chance you gave me playing ball, we let you down plain and simple, love you coach,” quarterback Conner Manning said on Twitter.
Echoes of fans calling for Miles job started immediately following the loss to Charlotte a season ago.
“Time for you to go coach,” a fan chanted repeatedly as Miles exited into the tunnel of the Georgia Dome following the 37-23 loss to UL-Monroe on Nov. 12.
Such chants are not unfamiliar territory for Miles or any coach whose team underperforms to excessively high fan expectations in a fast food society.
“Dumb move by GSU. Thank you @CoachTMilesGSU for being a player’s coach! Thanks for giving me a second chance at this college football thing,” linebacker Kaleb Ringer said on Twitter.
Miles previously coached his alma mater, Indiana State, turning the program around in a similar fashion from zero wins in 2008 to a 7-4 record just a few years later.
The Panthers fed the beast and expectations were at an all-time high heading into the 2016 season including a return trip to a bowl game and setting their sights on the university’s first ever Sun Belt Championship.
Those lofty hopes were derailed after a 2-8 start that included a brutal series of road games that included trips to Air Force, Wisconsin and Appalachian State early in the season and a series of key injuries throughout the year.
Georgia State faces Georgia Southern at the Georgia Dome on Nov. 19 and their final game of the season against the Idaho Vandals on Dec. 3.
Woody Bass III 