C'est tout for an era in Baton Rouge.
On Oct. 30, LSU completed a bit of a facelift in its athletic department with the departure of Scott Woodward, who had served as AD since 2019. Woodward, who hired championship coaches Kim Mulkey (women's basketball) and Jay Johnson (baseball), ultimately missed on football with the hiring of Brian Kelly, who was lured from Notre Dame in what was thought at the time to be a caper for LSU.
Of course, in college athletics, football remains king.
In the wake of Kelly's firing, there was a great deal of finger pointing toward who was responsible for LSU's underperformance during his tenure . LSU went 34-14 with Kelly at the helm, but a lack of appearances in the College Football Playoff and a virtual elimination from another one Oct. 25 vs Texas A&M – combined with a serious image problem exacerbated by Kelly foisting blame for LSU's shortcomings onto others – led to his firing in expedited fashion on Oct. 26.
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In the week that has followed, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has been extremely critical of Woodward's hiring of Kelly. While some of Landry's assertions have been outside the bounds of reality – specifically the money for Kelly's buyout falling on the shoulders of the people of Louisiana and Woodward being responsible for the extension that led to Jimbo Fisher receiving $77 million in buyout money from Texas A&M (despite hiring Fisher, the extension was the work of now-Ohio State AD Ross Bjork) – Landry is correct that the hiring of Kelly simply did not work out.
With the LSU athletic department seemingly in turmoil, punctuated by a hastily organized press conference at 8 a.m. local time on Halloween to discuss Woodward's Oct. 30 departure from the university and announce Verge Ausberry as the interim AD , here's a look at how arguably the best college coaching job available has become tainted by political grandstanding and outsized expectations.
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Joe Alleva was the embattled predecessor to Scott Woodward at LSU. The former Tigers athletic director was oft-criticized despite overseeing the department during LSU's 2009 baseball national championship, 2015 golf national championship, and many individual track and field champions.
The biggest blemish on Alleva's record, however, are championships bookending his tenure in football. LSU won the national championship in 2007 under Les Miles and then again in 2019, the year of Alleva's resignation, with Ed Orgeron steering the ship. Orgeron was promoted from the interim role when Miles was fired in 2016 following a loss to Auburn. He was named the head coach Nov. 26, two days after the season ended with a win against Texas A&M. The promotion sparked criticism of Alleva for his coaching search – or lack thereof – as then-"it" candidate Tom Herman went to Texas and other viable candidates stayed put.
Basketball was also an issue. Wholly uninspiring hires Trent Johnson and Johnny Jones never made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and though Will Wade brought relevance back to the program, scandal followed him in 2019. Reported recruiting violations stemming from an FBI wiretap preceded Alleva's resignation a month later on April 17.
LSU had a succession plan in place. Just a day after Alleva's resignation, the university hired university alum Scott Woodward away from Texas A&M.
Woodward, who had hired Fisher to the Aggies during his tenure there, also hired Buzz Williams away from Virginia Tech to helm TAMU basketball.
"After stops in Washington and Texas, I'm back home," Woodward said when he was hired . "But let me be clear, and very clear, I'm not solely back at LSU because it's my alma mater. I did not return because this is home to me and my entire multigenerational family, and I'm not – I did not come back because of the pull of any one individual. I am at LSU because I believe in who we are and what we can accomplish together, and I stress together. And because LSU means so much to me and it means so much to many people here in this great state."
He added: "We will win SEC and NCAA championships. We will not only graduate our student athletes but we will provide them with a world-class experience and with world-class help after they graduate."
LSU football was an utter Death Star in 2019, and less than a year after his hiring, Woodward made good on his promise to bring titles to Baton Rouge.
Behind the offensive juggernaut of Joe Burrow , Justin Jefferson , and JaMarr Chase, who headlined a roster that saw a then record-tying 14 players to drafted, LSU went 15-0 in Orgeron's third full season en route to a national championship.
The Tigers became a national sensation, with even their White House visit grabbing headlines.
Woodward's first high-profile hire at LSU practically fell into his lap.
Mulkey, already a women's college basketball legend because of her time in Waco, had led the Bears to three national titles to add onto her two championships whe won as a guard while playing at Louisiana Tech .
Mulkey supplanted Nikki Fargas, who resigned after a 9-13 2020 season.
"Kim Mulkey is a champion and a Hall of Famer, and we are thrilled to welcome her home," Woodward said at the time . "Her accomplishments are unprecedented, her passion is unrivaled, and her commitment to winning in all aspects of life – in the classroom, on the court, and in the community – is unparalleled. We look forward to working with her as she instills that championship culture at LSU."
While Mulkey may have been a relatively easy slam dunk hire for Woodward, the hiring of Jay Johnson was truly a pilfering.
Johnson, a West Coast mainstay who made his bones at Nevada before making Arizona into a baseball power in its own right, was 208-114 in six seasons with the Wildcats with two College World Series appearances. Johnson replaced the retired Paul Mainieri, who had won a title in 2009. LSU, a baseball superpower in the 1990s, signed Johnson to lofty expectations.
"I am humbled and honored to be the head baseball coach at LSU and serve as the steward of the next generation of national champions," Johnson said in his opening press conference . "LSU is a phenomenal University and athletics department, and I am very thankful to Scott Woodward and Stephanie Rempe for entrusting me to lead this storied program into its next winning chapter. I view this as the opportunity of my lifetime and will do everything in my power to have our team playing a brand of baseball that makes everyone at LSU, the Baton Rouge community, and the entire state of Louisiana incredibly proud. Geaux Tigers!"
Fewer than two years after leading one of the best teams in college football history, Orgeron was let go by the program after a swift fall from grace and mounting scandal.
LSU went 5-5 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season before going 6-7 in 2021. Orgeron and LSU agreed to part ways following the regular season. While the death knell may have been a hapless 42-21 loss to Kentucky , scandal off the field also mounted against Orgeron.
Though Orgeron always kept up a rah-rah demeanor as the LSU coach, sexual harassment allegations against both him and his players that he failed to address and the abrupt firing of offensive line staffer James Cregg – which led to a lawsuit from Cregg claiming the firing was retaliatory for admitting to recruitment violations during the COVID-19 dead period – marred on the field results, which were also below par.
Upon Orgeron's departure from LSU, the vacancy gave Woodward his highest-profile search to date.
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In a stunning move, LSU replaced Orgeron with 11-year Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly.
Kelly, a decorated coach in his own right, was given high praise by Woodward upon his introduction.
"He's a winner through and through, which makes Coach Kelly so successful, and that he knows success is a habit, and he shows up in everything he does, from the smallest acts to the biggest transformations," Woodward said in Kelly's introductory press conference . "He knows that success in football requires success in the classroom and in the community. He knows that high standards don't confine themselves to the football field, that elite performances on Saturdays is the product of elite preparation in every walk of life, and he knows what winning can do, how it can uplift a university, elevate a state and transform the lives of millions."
The first sign LSU and Kelly may be a match made somewhere under heaven came during Kelly's opening comments at an LSU basketball game.
Kelly was ridiculed mercilessly for putting on what appeared to be a Southern drawl – or an attempt at one – when he addressed the LSU crowd.
"This is a great way to get started, and I haven't won all of my games yet," he said, pausing to let the crowd get a cheer in. "It's a great night to be a Tiger. I'm here with my family, and we are so excited, to be in the great state of Louisiana."
The truly bizarre pronunciation of family, which had the uncanny feeling of a dream, kicked off memes that would persist through Kelly's entire tenure at LSU.
In yet another high-profile signing, LSU found its new basketball coach in Matt McMahon after Wade's scandal and departure.
McMahon, a longtime coach at Murray State , was hired after three NCAA Tournament appearances with the Racers, including two first-round victories.
At McMahon's introductory press conference, which Woodward was undoubtedly getting used to conducting by this time, Woodward said:
"It was essential for us to hire a coach with a winning standard of performance, as well as the consistency and character to elevate our men's basketball program to new heights. Matt is exactly what we were looking for. His vision for our program and his values as a leader align perfectly with ours as an institution, and he has a proven track record of identifying talent, developing student-athletes, and building championship basketball programs. We are excited to welcome, Matt, Mary, and their three children to Baton Rouge, and we are ready to work together to write the next championship chapter for LSU Basketball."
Amid the Caitlin Clark hype, LSU women's basketball became the spoiler to end all spoilers.
With Mulkey at the helm, the team had established an identity. After a second-round exit in 2021, LSU went 34-2 in Mulkey's second season and entered the 2023 tournament as a No. 3 seed in the Greenville regional.
LSU traipsed through the NCAA Tournament, ultimately defeating Iowa 102-85 in a barnburner of a performance. LSU star Angel Reese and Clark became appointment viewing when they played each other, with Reese doing John Cena's "can't see me" celebration – a Clark signature – in Clark's face in the waning moments of the game.
Much like their respective hirings, Johnson wasted no time following in Mulkey's footsteps.
LSU won the College World Series behind eventual first overall pick Dylan Crews and budding superstar Paul Skenes, now one of the faces of Major League Baseball.
Johnson marked the second Woodward hiring to win a championship in less than three months, and LSU looked like a legitimate superpower of a school.
Some cracks began to show early in Kelly's second season when the coach suffered a season-opening loss to USC.
After the 27-20 loss, an impassioned Kelly slammed the table in his postgame press conference airing out his frustrations, saying we're "sitting here again, we're sitting here AGAIN" as he slammed the table for emphasis. "Talking about the same things. About not finishing when we have our opponents in a position to put 'em away. But what we're doing on the sideline is feeling like the game's over."
"And I'm so angry about it," he continued. "That I gotta do something about it. I'm not doing a good enough job as a coach."
Despite the overwhelming success other sports were enjoying, however, the Golden Goose still wasn't laying eggs.
After his second season with LSU, Kelly had two bowls to show, but no CFP appearances. In Baton Rouge, that's short of expectations. While there was promise – LSU made the SEC Championship Game in 2022 with wins over Ole Miss and Alabama – 2023 felt like a step back. Losses to those same two schools, in which the Tigers gave up 97 combined points, saw LSU overhaul its defensive staff following the season.
Joe Sloan and Brock Baker were brought on as offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively, with former OC Mike Denbrock joining Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame. In addition to the firing of DC Matt House, cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples , safeties coach Kerry Cooks, and defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey were let go by LSU.
The new staff did not help matters. The Tigers went 9-4 (5-3 SEC) with a three-game losing streak to Texas A&M, Alabama, and Florida tanking their postseason aspirations.
When the season ended, whispers began to swirl around Kelly's future with the Tigers.
"We're taking receipts ... And we'll see you at the national championship," he blustered at his regular season-ending press conference after a win over Oklahoma .
While LSU football sputtered, baseball continued to thrive.
The Tigers won their second championship in three years under Johnson, defeating Coastal Carolina 2-0 in the College World Series.
This time led by the devastating 1-2 pitching punch of Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson, LSU was able to reclaim the baseball throne from Tony Vitello and Tennessee .
After an announcement in May, LSU President William Tate officially stepped down at the end of June to take the same position at Rutgers. Though it didn't appear at first blush to have much bearing on the sports side of things, it will soon be hugely important.
Following a 20-10 win over Florida, Kelly was displeased with a question about LSU's struggles on offense in its second year under Sloan.
"Stop. Really?" he said. "Is that the first question? We won the game 20-10. Try another question. What do you want me to tell you? I just laid it out for you. We played the game to win the game."
Kelly continued:
"You're looking at this from the wrong perspective. LSU won the football game, won the game. I don't know what you want from me. What do you want? You want us to win 70-0 against Florida to keep you happy?
"Those are ridiculous questions and I'm getting tired of it. That football team just worked their tail off to get an SEC win and you want to know what's wrong. You know what? You're spoiled, you're spoiled."
Kelly would later apologize for the tirade.
After a 5-1 start, LSU found itself utterly manhandled against SEC darlings Vanderbilt.
In a 31-24 loss, it never for a moment felt like the Tigers were in control. While things were not yet dire for Kelly, there began to be more talk about his long-term prospects.
Then came the Aggies.
Texas A&M has been a veritable force under Mike Elko this year, but LSU's completely uninspiring performance in a night game at home in front of an uncharacteristically placid LSU crowd saw the Kelly rumors hit a fever pitch.
The Tigers lost to Texas A&M 49-25, and somehow looked even worse than the score indicated, bringing calls for change.
Even Kelly's firing had an odd tinge to it.
It looked like Kelly might survive LSU's bye week, but more and more reports began rolling in about closed-door meetings surrounding Kelly's future and a contentious discussion with Woodward.
By the end of Sunday, Kelly was out at LSU, adding yet another twist to an insane 2025 coaching carousel, and a spot many might call a throne to boot.
Enter Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.
Remember that LSU lost its President earlier this year? Well here's where that comes into play. Because Matt Lee is an interim and does not possess certain decision-making powers, Landry has stepped in as a power player since Kelly's firing.
In a highly unusual press conference, Landry took aim at several high-profile names at LSU, including Woodward, less than a week after he said LSU should reconsider raising ticket prices due to on-field performance.
Most notably Landry – a Louisiana-Lafayette alum – said Woodward would not be picking Kelly's successor, and it would instead come down to a board.
"I can tell you right now, Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach," he said. "Hell, I'll let (President) Donald Trump select it before I let him do it."
Landry expounded upon the board later, while alluding to Lee's position as interim.
"Now, look, I have no animus against Brian Kelly..." Landry said. "...But I think that it had gotten to the point ... that the spirit of the team needed a change. And so that change was made and we're going to move on. We're without a president right now at LSU, and I'm hoping that the board of supervisors gets us (a coach) very quickly."
Landry did make several incorrect claims in his press conference. He implied LSU taxpayers were on the hook for Kelly's buyout, which is only true if private donations fall through, and he said Woodward was responsible for Texas A&M's exorbitant buyout to Fisher, which Ross Bjork actually penned despite Woodward enticing Fisher from Florida State. More humorously, Landry said in a separate appearance with ESPN's Matt Moscona that LSU would not be able to make the Bowl Championship Series, which, while technically true, is not a particularly pressing issue in 2025.
On the evening of Oct. 30, it was reported and later confirmed Woodward was going to be parting ways with LSU.
"We thank Scott for the last six years of service as athletic director," Board of Supervisors Chair Scott Ballard said in a statement. "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."
In a letter to LSU fans, Woodward did not address speculation on his exit.
"Others can recap or opine on my tenure and on my decisions over the last six years as Director of Athletics, but I will not," he wrote. "Rather, I will focus on the absolute joy that LSU Athletics brings to our state's residents and to the Baton Rouge community. I will cherish the incredible relationships I have built within the University community and beyond our campus borders. And I will fondly remember the national and SEC championships for the joy that they brought to our student-athletes, coaches, staff, campus community and our incredible fans."
Mulkey skipped a press conference after an exhibition game, with assistant coach Bob Starkey saying she was "heartbroken" in a fill-in appearance.
With the ousting of Woodward, LSU wasted no time naming its next AD.
On the morning of Halloween, LSU hosted an 8 a.m. local time press conference with Ballard and John Carmouche.
Ausberry announced he will be the head of LSU's search for a new football coach , while also implying filling the AD role will be a priority but won't be expedited.
"Our concern is trying to get the best football coach we have here and making sure this department is stable," Ausberry said. "That's my job. I'm not looking to do anything further from that, but right now it's just stabilizing the department, making sure the coaches and the executive team is okay with everything they do, and they're getting our support, and hiring a football coach."
There was more grandstanding about the lofty expectations at LSU, but the future is, of course, cast into question with Landry's involvement. Questions about the size of Kelly's buyout, an interim president, and an interim AD will inevitably lead to a challenging interviewing process.
Will the next head coach be safe or will the new AD want to bring their own person in at the first sign of struggle? Can LSU pony up what will be necessary to sign a deal with a premiere candidate, particularly with Landry's comments about buyouts? And, perhaps most importantly of all, will Louisiana politics play an impact on the field?
There are two carousels happening: The one in college football and whatever is happening inside the Big Top in Baton Rouge. But the overarching question is clear and reasonable: If the guy who hired Kim Mulkey and Jay Johnson isn't safe, who is?
In a records request obtained by WAFB on Nov. 5 , Kelly acknowledged his termination and said he was open to negotiating a buyout number, although at a price that he said "made sense financially."
"As we discussed in our meeting, I'm open to your desire to reach a settlement of what's owed to me under the contract, although of course it would have to make sense financially," Kelly wrote in the email.
The email was addressed to LSU athletic director Scott Woodward, then-deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry — who's now the full-time athletic director — LSU chief operating officer Julie Cromer and football general manager Austin Thomas.
"Sending a quick note to confirm that following my termination during our meeting today, I will return all LSU materials in my possession as required by my contract," Kelly wrote. "Let me know if it's better for me to clean out my office, or if you would prefer to pack everything up and send it to me. I assume (human resources) will be in touch regarding any other housekeeping matters out there but let me know (if) you need anything else from me in the meantime."
The Daily Advertiser obtained Woodward's buyout total via records request, which noted LSU has agreed to pay Woodward $6.375 million from Oct. 31, 2025, through April 30, 2029, the final day of his amended contract he signed in 2021.
LSU will pay Woodward $43,750 per month through the dates, with the school paying Woodward's company, Ryan Eric LLC, $110,416.67 monthly.
The payments could be offset should Woodward take another athletic director job at a different school. His salary in a new position would be deducted from the remaining buyout total.
Kelly shared his first statement since he was fired, which was nearly two weeks before his message on social media.
"Moving to Baton Rouge four years ago, my family and I were clear, there would be no halfway," Kelly wrote. "We would be all-in for LSU and for Louisiana. This journey began with great expectations with my own vision of how to get there. Sometimes the journey does not end the way we hope. But when I think of our time together, I will remember and appreciate what we did accomplish."
Kelly files a lawsuit against LSU, claiming the school is trying to fire him for cause to avoid paying him the $54 million buyout owed from his contract being terminated early.
The lawsuit, which was obtained by ESPN and Nola.com, claims LSU hasn't officially terminated Kelly's employment and is considering grounds for a "for cause termination."
The lawsuit comes after LSU and Kelly have been negotiating a buyout total for weeks, dating back to when he was fired on Oct. 26.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU football mess: Brian Kelly fired, AD buyout, interim questions
