LSU will conduct its second coaching search in four years after Brian Kelly was fired last weekend. Don't expect the man who helped lure Kelly away Our Lady in 2021 to hire the next staff. 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’re not going down a bad path,” Landry said. “And I wanted to tell you something. This is a pattern. The guy who wrote [Kelly's] contract value Texas A&M 70-something million dollars. We have liabilities of $53 million. I believe that we will find a great coach… the supervisory board will create a committee and find us a coach.”
While stripping Woodward of decision-making power makes sense given his recent track record, there was one problem with Landry's statement that the search would be handled by the Board of Supervisors. Scott Ballard, Chairman of the Board, didn't know about this plan.
“No, I didn’t know that,” Ballard told WBRZ.
“The next step is to hire the best coach for Louisiana State University,” Ballard continued. “I promise you. Go Tigers.”
Woodward was responsible for two of the largest buyouts in college football history. Before coming to LSU in 2019, he orchestrated one of the most amazing hires in sports for the Texas A&M athletic director job, landing Jimbo Fisher from Florida.
Fisher's era at Texas A&M did not live up to expectations, and the school fired him before the conclusion of the 2023 season. In 2021, Fisher signed a 10-year extension worth $95 million, leaving Texas A&M on the hook for a buyout in excess of $76 million.
Kelly is also in line for a big payout after last weekend's loss to Texas A&M. His 10-year contract, signed in 2021, paid him $9.4 million this season, with six years and $58.2 million remaining. Buying him out would require 90% of his remaining salary, totaling $52.38 million.
The upcoming coaching carousel is expected to be full of actionwith LSU likely at center. List of SportsLine bookmakers Ole MissLane Kiffin TulaneJohn Sumrall and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who held the same role at LSU during the 2019 national title season, are names to watch in the search.
