Overview
- Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry declared that athletic director Scott Woodward will not select LSU’s next football coach, saying he would let President Donald Trump choose before Woodward.
- Multiple outlets report LSU and Woodward are separating, with Verge Ausberry named interim athletic director and a separation payment reported in the mid–single‑digit millions.
- Landry framed his intervention as fiscal stewardship, saying the next coach will have performance metrics, and he later clarified that taxpayers would be on the hook only if private donors did not cover the buyout.
- Reports from WDSU and others indicate private boosters are expected to pay most of Brian Kelly’s roughly $53–$54 million buyout, with one donor contributing the largest share.
- The governor said the LSU Board of Supervisors will form a search committee, though the board chair said he was unaware of such a plan, and multiple reports say the public spat has discouraged top coaching candidates.