LSU National Championship Wins Vacated 2012 to 2015

LSU is vacating football wins because Vadal Alexander was found ineligible to play from 2012 to 2015 during the tenure of Les Miles.

OL Vadal played with the LSU under Les Miles tenure from 2012 to 2015. His father, James Alexander, received $180,150 from former Tigers donor John Paul Funes in a scheme of embezzling money from a hospital.

Funes was the head of the ‘Our Lady of the Lakes Foundation’ and had offered James a job at the foundation. Though he worked no more than five occasions, James received payments for work he had not performed for five years.

Vadal’s father was paid $3,150 on February 16, 2012. This was followed by monthly payments of $3,000 as a retainer. John had also offered Vadal’s mother a job at the hospital.

NCAA’s Independent Resolution Panel determined Louisiana State University should have properly monitored Funes. Had they done so, they would have become aware of Alexander’s ineligibility before November 2018. 

The NCAA gave LSU no choice but to vacate all its wins and championship titles for every game Vadal Alexander played. The athletic program must remove all public references that mention vacated records from its forum, athletics department, and any other place in which it appears.

If there are any banners displayed, they must also take them down. Trophies given by the NCAA must be returned back to the Association.

What Did Les Miles Do?

LSU football coach Les Miles coached ineligible athlete Vadal Alexander for four years during his stay at Louisiana from 2005 to 2016.

To mitigate the effects of the NCAA ruling, LSU self-imposed a penalty to vacate all the wins in which Vadal played.

With 37 wins being vacated, Miles’s winning career percentage drops from .665% to .597%. He is no longer eligible to be voted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Miles LSU career record was 218-145 before Thursday’s ruling.

As for where Les Miles is now, he is likely coaching his daughters Macy Miles and Smacker Miles into softball stars. Macy is a star softball pitcher.

LSU Vadal Alexander was a four-year starter on the offensive line from 2012 to 2015. In four years, he started 46 games out of 50 games he played in. The former offensive tackle helped LSU appear in four bowl games and was one of the players in the 2016 Senior Bowl.

In his senior year, the Georgia native earned second team All-America honors from Sporting News, Walter Camp, and Sports Illustrated.

Vadal’s college football career ended with playing 3,033 offensive snaps with 315 knockdown blocks. In 2015, the athlete was one of four permanent team captains. In the 2016 NFL Draft, Oakland Raiders selected him in the seventh round.

LSU football probation of three years will end in 2026 after starting at the conclusion of the probationary period on September 21, 2023.

During the probation period, the rules that LSU must conform to are:

• Inform all prospective athletes of football and men’s basketball of their probation by writing the violations committed.
• Violation, penalties, and terms of probation must be provided to prospective student-athletes either in advance of their visit or before they sign a National Letter of Intent.
• Must publicize information concerning infractions in a clear format by releasing a statement to include programs affected and the types of violations breached.
• A direct and visible link to the infractions report must be located on its webpage.
• The infractions and penalties must be published in media guides and alumni publications in explanatory and clear language. They should detail the duration of the probationary period with a clear explanation of what occurred in the case. 
• The athletic program should send Infractions annual compliance reports to the NCAA Office of the Committees by July 1 of each year of its probation. The implementation of the penalties and monitoring of activities by athletic representatives in the football program and the participation of individuals in the recruiting process in the basketball program must be detailed.

Before the conclusion of probation and after the submission of the final compliance report, the LSU president will have to provide a letter to the Committee on Infractions affirming that its current athletics policies conform to NCAA regulations.

NCAA football recruiting violations that the LSU football program broke were one Level I, two Level II, and one Level III infraction.

On June 22, 2023, the Independent Resolution Panel sought to look at the infractions of the provision of impermissible benefits from an LSU Athletics representative and an impermissible recruiting contact.

LSU football Level III NCAA violations were that a former head football coach had an impermissible recruiting contact with a 2020 football prospective student-athlete.

During an evaluation period before July 1, the former LSU head football coach met with a 2020 football prospective student-athlete on January 17, 2019, in the office of the athlete’s high school coach.

The head coach talked about recruiting with the high school coach in the presence of the student-athlete and invited the prospective player to LSU’s Junior Day.

The self-imposed penalties included a letter of admonishment and recruiting suspension for the coach. A restriction on communication and recruiting was also put in place.

LSU football NCAA violations ruled as Level I violations was Funes, a representative of LSU athletics, provided impermissible benefits to the parents of former student-athlete.

Level II violations were:

• Representative of athletics interests provided impermissible benefits to football student-athletes.
• LSU failed to monitor the activities of representatives of athletics interests in its football program.

Level 1 Violations

NCAA football violations that are categorized as Level I or severe breach of conduct are 

• Those conduct that undermines the integrity of college sports.
• Are a substantial prohibited benefit.

Level I violations can include:

• Lack of institutional control.
• Academic misconduct.
• Failure to cooperate with an NCAA investigation.
• Unethical conduct.
• Violation of head coach responsibility rules.
• Payment to recruits.
• Booster involvement in recruiting with member knowledge.
• Intentional violations.
• Collective Level II and/or Level III violations.

Level II Infractions

NCAA football violations are categorized in Level II if the breach of conduct

• Provide more than a minimal but less than substantial recruiting, competitive or other advantages.
• Include more than a minimal but less than a substantial prohibited benefit.
• Involve actions that could compromise the integrity of college sports.

Level III NCAA Breach Of Conduct

NCAA violations will be regarded as Level III infractions if they

• Are isolated or limited in nature.
• Provide minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantages.
• Provide a minimal impermissible benefit.

LSU won the college football national championships in the years 1958, 2003, 2007, and 2019. Three wins were in the 21st century.

Paul Dietzel was the head coach when LSU won its first national championship in 1958. Though he was named LSU head coach in 1955, it was only after he introduced the three-platoon system in his fourth term that the Tigers claimed its first national championship. They beat Clemson 7–0 in the Sugar Bowl.  

The next championship was won under the helm of Nick Saban in 2003. He was hired as DiNardo’s replacement in December 1999. The Tigers went up against Oklahoma to bag the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national title in the 2003 season. The score was 21-14 in the 2004 Sugar Bowl.

During the term of Les Miles from 2005 to 2016, the football team won two SEC championships (2007, 2011) and a national championship with a 12–2 record.

In the 2008 BCS, LSU Tigers took on Ohio State Buckeyes and defeated them 38–24. They became the first team to win two BCS in history. In the 2007 season, they collected their tenth Southeastern Conference championship by trouncing Tennessee.

Ed Orgeron coached the 2019 LSU Tigers football team that won their 12th SEC championship and fourth national championship with a record of 15–0. LSU and Clemson clashed in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship. In the end, LSU came out victorious with a score of 42–25. 

QB Joe Burrow was Offensive and linebacker Patrick Queen was Defensive Player of the Game. Of the 628 yards of total offense, Burrow accounted for 521 yards. The game broke NCAA records as Joe set the marks of total touchdowns (65) and single-season passing touchdowns (60).

Other remarkable players in the game were wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr., linebacker Jacob Phillips, safety JaCoby Stevens, cornerback Kristian Fulton, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, WR Justin Jefferson, tight end Thaddeus Moss, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, running back Travis Etienne, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, safety Grant Delpit, and wide receiver Justyn Ross.