LSU will conduct its second coaching search in four years after firing Brian Kelly last weekend. Don’t expect the person who helped poach Kelly from Notre Dame in 2021 to make the next hire. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry told reporters Wednesday that the LSU Board of Supervisors will form a committee to find the school’s next coach, rather than leaving the decision to athletic director Scott Woodward.
“We are not going down a failed path,” Landry said. “And I wanted to tell you something. This is a pattern. The guy that wrote [Kelly’s] contract cost Texas A&M $70-something million. We have a $53 million liability. I believe that we are going to find a great coach … the board of supervisors are going to come up with a committee and they’re going to find us a coach.”
While taking decision-making power away from Woodward makes sense given his recent track record, there was one issue with Landry’s proclamation that the Board of Supervisors would be running the search. Scott Ballard, the board’s chairman, was unaware of that plan.
“No, I didn’t know that,” Ballard told WBRZ.
“The next steps are we’re gonna hire the best coach for Louisiana State University,” Ballard continued. “I promise you. Go Tigers.”
Woodward has been responsible for two of the largest buyouts in college football history. Before arriving at LSU in 2019, he orchestrated one of the sport’s most stunning hires as Texas A&M’s athletic director, landing Jimbo Fisher from Florida State.
The Fisher era at Texas A&M fell short of expectations, and the school fired him before the conclusion of the 2023 season. Fisher had signed a 10-year, $95 million extension in 2021, leaving Texas A&M on the hook for a buyout exceeding $76 million.
Kelly is also due a massive payout following last weekend’s loss to Texas A&M. His 10-year contract, signed in 2021, paid him $9.4 million this season and still had six years and $58.2 million remaining. His buyout calls for 90% of the remaining salary, totaling $52.38 million.
The upcoming coaching carousel is expected to be full of movement, with LSU likely at the center. SportsLine oddsmakers list Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady — who held the same role at LSU during its 2019 national title season — as names to watch in the search.
