Former LSU and recently hired Kansas coach Les Miles was part of discussions earlier this year regarding the rebirth of UT-Arlington's football program.
In March, Miles met with an Austin-based construction and design studio company about plans for a new football facility at UTA, according to emails obtained through an open records request. It was during the same time that UTA explored the feasibility of fielding the university's first football team since 1985.
Miles, one of college football's most recognizable names, was introduced as Kansas' coach Nov. 18. Before he and the Jayhawks agreed to a deal, records show he was involved in UTA's recent exploration of bringing back football.
On March 5, Miles met with Bercy Chen Studio to discuss its designs for a future facilities UTA.
"Our team met with Coach Miles on Monday and he was full of enthusiastic ideas, so it would be great to properly tailor our design progress for the football facilities with your overall plans and with what we need to present to the University," Bercy Chen's Joshua Mackley wrote in an email to UTA athletic director Jim Baker.
Miles re-entered the sport's landscape on when Kansas hired him. Miles is 142-55 in 16 years and is one of six active coaches who have won an FBS national championship.
After four seasons at Oklahoma State, he spent 12 years at LSU, where he led the Tigers to the 2007 national championship. He was fired four games into LSU's 2016 season.
In October, The News reported Baker and UTA were exploring the feasibility of restarting the university's dormant football program. The school sought out a third-party preliminary financial report to see what kind of funds are required to make that happen.
A rough financial report released through an open records request showed a projected estimate of $146.7 million to start three new sports _ football, women's soccer and beach volleyball.
An internal markup of a different 2004 feasibility study stated UTA was best served by joining the Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. UTA's other NCAA sports participate in the Sun Belt. The notes on the 2004 study also noted the revenue possibilities with the "advent of television contracts and the possibility of adding a very prominent head coach. ..."
Miles, Baker and Mackley could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.
Miles and Kansas agreed to a five-year contract worth $13.8 million in base salary.
It's unclear where UTA is at in its process of potentially reviving its football program and if the university had any direct conversations with Miles about being its head coach. If UTA hired Miles, the Mavericks wouldn't be the first in-state program to hire a notable former coach to spearhead a new FBS program.
In 2009, UT-San Antonio hired ex-Miami (Fla.) coach Larry Coker to start its program. Two years later, Texas State hired former Alabama and Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione to lead the Bobcats from the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) to the FBS.
During his introductory press conference at Kansas, Miles said he wanted to return to the sidelines after he was fired at LSU.
"I did not expect it to take this long to get back in," Miles told reporters earlier this month. "But as it went I was very comfortable with the fact that how I played my cards and the things that I wanted to do."
