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Louisiana’s Governor, Jeff Landry, declared on Wednesday that Scott Woodward, the athletics director at Louisiana State University (LSU), will not have a role in selecting the institution’s upcoming football coach.
“Let me be clear, Scott Woodward will not be the one choosing the next coach,” Landry stated during a press briefing. “Frankly, I’d prefer having [former President] Donald Trump make the decision before allowing him to do so.”
LSU ended its association with head football coach Brian Kelly on Sunday. Kelly, who took the helm in November 2021 after a 12-year stint at Notre Dame, amassed a record of 34-14 while coaching the Tigers, even leading them to the SEC Championship Game in 2022.
In an official statement regarding Kelly’s departure, the athletics department mentioned that the “terms of the separation are still being negotiated.”
Kelly was in the midst of a 10-year contract worth $95 million. According to the agreement, LSU owes Kelly approximately $53 million as part of the buyout. On Monday, WDSU in New Orleans announced that almost the entire buyout sum is expected to be covered by a single private donor.
Landry confirmed Wednesday that he met with school officials at the governor’s mansion in Baton Rouge on Sunday to discuss dismissing Kelly and paying his buyout. He added that the LSU Board of Supervisors will assemble a hiring committee to select Kelly’s replacement.
Of the 14 members of the board of supervisors, Landry has appointed six, including chair Scott Ballard and vice chair Lee Mallett. The board is also responsible for hiring LSU’s next president, whose search is ongoing.
Landry criticized Woodward for awarding Kelly the pricey contract, as well as for hiring former Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher in 2017 during his time as the Aggies’ athletic director.
At the time, Woodward signed Fisher to a 10-year, $75-million contract. Woodward’s replacement, Ross Bjork, extended Fisher’s contract in 2021, boosting his annual salary to over $9 million.
Fisher was later fired in November 2023, with Texas A&M buying out his contract to the tune of nearly $77 million, the largest such payment in college football history.
“I can promise you, we’re going to pick a coach, and we’re going to make sure that that coach is successful, and we’re going to make sure that he’s compensated properly and we’re going to put metrics on it, because I’m tired of rewarding failure in this country and then leaving the taxpayers to foot the bill,” the governor said.
The Hill has reached out to the LSU athletic department for further comment.