KU football hires a new offensive coordinator. Les Miles knows him from way back
Kansas football coach Les Miles has a new offensive coordinator ... and perhaps no one should be surprised he has Michigan ties like Miles.
KU announced the addition of Mike DeBord on Tuesday, filling the vacancy left by Brent Dearmon, who accepted the OC job at Middle Tennessee last week.
DeBord, who will turn 65 on Sunday, was a Michigan analyst last season and previously was the team’s offensive coordinator from 1997-99 and 2006-07. DeBord and Miles were assistants together with Michigan in the early 1990s.
“This is a great day for Kansas football,” Miles said in a release. “We are adding a coach with a wealth of experience in Mike. He has squared off with just about every defensive scheme in the book, and has worked within and led several offensive systems. In addition to the qualities he brings as a football coach, he is a man of high character, and will be an outstanding addition to our program as we continue to instill the culture we want in place.”
DeBord most recently was an offensive coordinator for the San Diego Fleet for the defunct Alliance of American Football league. He also was OC for Tennessee from 2015-16 and Indiana from 2017-18.
“I’m really looking forward to reuniting with Les Miles, and joining his mission of building Jayhawk Football into a championship program,” DeBord said in a release. “I love coordinating offenses and helping the players become better individually, and as a unit to help us win. That will be done with the great help of the offensive coaches, and the buy-in and hard work by the student-athletes. I can’t wait to get started.”
DeBord’s hire came after some speculation that KU could look into former offensive coordinator Ed Warinner for the post. Warinner — he was Michigan’s offensive line coach from 2018-20 — was KU’s offensive coordinator during some of the Jayhawks’ most successful seasons from 2007-09.
The Jayhawks, with the DeBord addition, have filled their on-field coaching staff for the 2021 season.
“I have had the honor of working alongside Mike before, as have some of the best coaches in college football and the NFL,” Miles said. “He makes his fellow coaches better, and will have an instant impact on the Jayhawks.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 4:48 PM with the headline "KU football hires a new offensive coordinator. Les Miles knows him from way back."
