The LSU Tigers coaching search took a turn on Wednesday when Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced that much-maligned athletic director Scott Woodward would not solely be responsible for picking the program’s new coach. Woodward has been in the spotlight after firing Brian Kelly, who is due a $54 million payout.
Woodward was also the athletic director at Texas A&M when he appointed Jimbo Fisher to coach the Aggies in 2019, leaving the program with a $78 million shortfall when they fired him in 2023, resulting in a total of $132 million in buyouts associated with the A.D.
Jeff Landry Speaks About His Role in LSU Coaching Search
During Thursday’s segment of the “Pat McAfee Show,” Landry spoke about his role in state universities in Louisiana and how it intersects with the key stakeholders in picking the programs coaches.
“We’ve got a number of four-year state universities in Louisiana and LSU has its own board, it’s called the board of supervisors,” Landry said.
“It is appointed by the governor under staggered terms. So, really, I’m the one who appoints them, then they appoint the president and A.D., and the decisions that are made at the university are really made by the board, but they’re appointees that represent me. I know it happens in Texas as well, the governor is in charge of appointing the board of regents of say A&M and U.T.”
Once again, Landry stressed the fact that he would not be directly involved in the job of picking the Tigers’ next coach.
“Listen, emphatically speaking, I am not picking the coach. It’s not my job,” Landry said.
“I will not be picking the new coach and that is not my job..
The only reason that I’m really involved is because this Brian Kelly contract leaves the taxpayers of this state on the bill..
I care about the taxpayers of our state”@JeffLandry #PMSLive https://t.co/x211efay5k pic.twitter.com/p0UzzOpiDQ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 30, 2025
Louisian Governor Reveals Who Will Foot Brian Kelly’s Buyout
During his interview with Pat McAfee, Landry further revealed that the taxpayers would be on the hook for Kelly’s $54 million buyout should a donor not step up to foot it, while torching Woodward for his role in the massive buyout.
“That contract binds the state of Louisiana,” said Jeff Landry. ” If someone doesn’t step up and pay that bill, the state of Louisiana has to foot that bill. There’s a number of bad contracts that seem to have followed Scott Woodward.
“His agent and Brian Kelly’s agent are the same agent. In the legal profession, that is called a conflict of interest. How can I trust my athletic director whose agent also represents some of the candidates that are out there?”
The LSU coaching search has garnered national headlines, with the Governor wading into the highly publicized coaching search, and several high-profile names already linked to the lucrative post in Baton Rouge.
