Amid allegations that he influenced the decision to fire former LSU head football coach Brian Kelly earlier in the week, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry shocked the sports world on Wednesday when he said the university’s athletic director would not be picking the program’s next head coach.
Landry voiced his displeasure with then-athletic director Scott Woodward — who hired Kelly, baseball head coach Jay Johnson, and women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey, among others — during the question-and-answer portion of an unrelated news conference. Landry’s ire with Woodward focused on the “terrible contract” that he gave Kelly in 2021.
“I can tell you right now, Scott is not selecting the next coach,” he said. “Hell, I'll let Donald Trump select it before I let him do it. I don't know. But the Board of Supervisors is gonna come up with a committee and they're gonna go find us a coach.”
The day after Landry’s comments, LSU announced it was parting ways with Woodward.
“We thank Scott for the last six years of service as athletic director,” LSU Board of Supervisors chair Scott Ballard said in a statement accompanying the university’s announcement. “He had a lot of success at LSU, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future. Our focus now is on moving the athletic department forward and best positioning LSU to achieve its full potential.”
Verge Ausberry — who served as deputy athletic director — will take Woodward’s duties, including choosing a new coach.
The LSU Board of Supervisors — who are appointed by Landry — are not typically involved in head coaching hires. That job usually falls to the athletic director.
In response to Landry’s comments, Ballard told Baton Rouge TV station WBRZ that the board was not aware of its ability to hire coaches.
“Well, then, I better get to it!” he told WBRZ as he was leaving a meeting.
Landry justified his rebuke of Woodward by saying the former AD has a history of hiring head coaches who get massive buyouts when they’re fired.
Besides Kelly — who has a reported $54 million buyout — Woodward also hired former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher when he was the AD at A&M. Fisher was fired in 2023 and had a $77 million buyout — which was finalized after Woodward left for LSU in 2021.
Landry also suggested that Woodward, Kelly and Fisher share an agent during his comments on Wednesday, saying, “You know what's interesting? If I'm not mistaken, Woodward’s agent, Kelly's agent, the Texas A&M [agent, referring to Fisher’s agent], they're all the same agent.”
Kelly and Fisher do not share an agent. Kelly is represented by Trace Armstrong, who leads the coaching division at Athletes First, as Landry correctly identified. Fisher is represented by Jimmy Sexton, the co-head of football at Creative Artists Agency. WWNO could not verify that Woodward shares an agent with either of them.
Landry said he only got involved in the head coaching decision because of the “terrible” financial decisions being made. He confirmed that he hosted a meeting at the governor’s mansion to discuss Kelly’s firing before it happened, but said it was “to talk about the legalities, to talk about the costs, to talk about who pays for it.”
Landry repeatedly suggested that Louisiana taxpayers would be on the hook for Kelly’s buyout. However, LSU Board of Supervisors member John Carmouche explained to the press on Friday that taxpayers will not have to contribute to the buyout.
It will instead be handled by LSU Athletics, the same as all other LSU coach buyouts. Carmouche said LSU Athletics has an anonymous donor lined up to pay for the bulk of Kelly’s buyout.
