LSU athletic director Scott Woodward should probably be worried about his job status if Wednesday’s comments from the state’s governor are any indication.
Governor Jeff Landry spoke to the media Wednesday about LSU’s head coaching hire after the school fired Brian Kelly on Sunday. Landry said LSU’s Board of Supervisors would make the call on the next head coach, not Woodward.
Landry then went even further by essentially accusing Woodward of wasting millions of dollars on failed coaches.
“We are not going down a failed path. This is a pattern,” Landry told reporters on Wednesday. “The guy that’s here now that wrote that contract cost Texas A&M $70-something million. Right now we’ve got a $53 million liability. We are not doing that again.
“We’re going to pick a coach, and we’re going to make sure that coach is successful. And we’re going to make sure that he’s compensated properly, and we’re going to put metrics on him. I’m tired of rewarding failure in this country and then leaving the taxpayers to foot the bill. I can tell you right now, Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach. I’d let Donald Trump select it before I’d let him do it.”
Governor Jeff Landry says in no uncertain terms that Scott Woodward will NOT select the next LSU Football coach. pic.twitter.com/rdqh8tuSWp
— Matt Moscona (@MattMoscona) October 29, 2025
Landry is alluding to Woodward’s decision to hire Jimbo Fisher while still at Texas A&M. Fisher was later fired by the school after Woodward had left for LSU, a firing that wound up costing the school $76 million.
Woodward was also behind LSU’s decision to hire Brian Kelly, which proved unsuccessful and will cost LSU $53 million. Woodward and Kelly reportedly wound up clashing while Kelly was already on the way out.
Landry’s comments certainly suggest that LSU probably will not be handing out any record contracts as they look to replace Kelly. That might make it challenging for them to land a top-tier name, though there are certainly some coaches who would rush to take the LSU job without necessarily being paid huge money.
