The College Football Hall of Fame has made a minor change to its eligibility requirements for Coaches, and while it seems like a minor one, it could see a major addition.  The Hall announced that it is reducing the winning percentage for Coaches from .600 to .595 starting in 2027.  That may not seem like it would have much of an impact, but this appears to target one man in particular: Mike Leach, who had a winning percentage of .596 (158-107) over his tenure at Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State.  He passed away in 2022 at the age of 61 following complications from a heart condition.

Leach may not have the “.600 Winning Percentage,” but his dynamic offensive schemes, which feature a blitzing “Air Raid” style that has influenced many other coaches and levels of football, show a Hall of Fame resume.  He is not the only man who could benefit from the new rules.

Les Miles, who coached LSU to the 2007 National Championship, saw 37 of his wins vacated due to a recruiting violation, causing his winning percentage to drop from .665 (145-73) to .597 (108-73).

We would not be surprised to see both of them nominated for the 2027 Class.

We have some College Football Hall of Fame drama to discuss.

For a coach to make the hall, he has to have a winning percentage of .600.  Les Miles, who coached LSU from 2005 to 2016, is suing LSU, stating that the school’s decision to vacate 37 wins from 2012-15 removed from Hall of Fame consideration.  The vacated wins dropped his winning percentage to .597.

The vacated wins occurred when an NCAA investigation uncovered a Level I recruiting violation.  Specifically, in 2012, an LSU representative paid a prospective athlete’s father $180,150 over a five-year period. 

Miles, who led LSU to a National Championship in 2007, was also the AP Coach of the Year in 2011.  He also coached Oklahoma State (2001-04) and Kansas (2019-20).