Overview
- LSU announced Thursday night that Scott Woodward is leaving as athletic director and named executive deputy Verge Ausberry interim AD with authority to lead the football coach search.
- Gov. Jeff Landry publicly said Woodward would not choose the next coach and quipped that President Donald Trump could, highlighting a struggle over who controls the hire.
- Brian Kelly was fired Sunday after the Texas A&M loss, triggering a buyout estimated around $53–54 million that LSU says is being negotiated and, according to officials, not funded by taxpayers.
- Reports indicate Woodward’s separation will cost roughly $6–$6.8 million, with mitigation clauses in contracts potentially reducing the final amounts owed.
- LSU leaders said a search committee including Ausberry, board figures and major donors is in place, and they emphasized departmental stability despite vacancies and the lack of a permanent president.