At a press conference related to SNAP benefits, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry revealed a strong opinion about who should pick the next LSU football head coach.
“I can tell you right now, [LSU Athletic Director] Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach,” Landry said. “Hell, I’ll let Donald Trump do it before I let him do it.”
When asked who would pick the coach if not Woodward, Landry said he didn’t know but proposed the Board of Supervisors might form a committee.
LSU football head coach Brian Kelly was fired on Sunday after a disappointing start to the SEC season, which meant the school is set to pay his $53 million buyout. Landry complained about that money, calling it a “liability.”
“I believe that we’re gonna find a great coach,” Landry said. “I’m tired of rewarding failure in this country and then leaving the taxpayers to foot the bill.”
Woodward, who’s been at LSU since 2019 and is from Baton Rouge, was also the athletic director at Texas A&M when it hired football coach Jimbo Fisher. Fisher was eventually fired, forcing Texas A&M to pay a $77 million buyout, the largest in college football history. Landry pointed to that as evidence of Woodward’s “track record.”
Woodward was no longer working at Texas A&M when Fisher was fired.
Kelly’s buyout could be reduced if he gains “football-related employment” like a job in media or another coaching gig. It’s also still being negotiated to potentially lower it through an agreement, LSU Athletics said Sunday in a statement. The program said that negotiation could take weeks or months.
WDSU reported that LSU won’t use state funds for Kelly’s buyout on Monday.
Landry was reportedly heavily involved in the decision to fire Kelly. Meetings took place all throughout Sunday with LSU leaders and donors, and one reportedly took place at the Governor’s Mansion. Many of the meetings, however, didn’t include Woodward, reports have said.
In LSU’s statement announcing Kelly’s firing Sunday, Woodward was quoted as saying he made the decision to fire Kelly.
While at LSU, Woodward has also hired women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, baseball coach Jay Johnson, and gymnastics head coach Jay Clarke, who have won four collective national championships at the school.
