Who should LSU tap to be its next head coach?
“Joel Klatt reacts to LSU football coach Brian Kelly's firing”. Klatt reveals who he thinks LSU should call to replace Kelly and discusses whether the position is the best coaching vacancy available.
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry declared Wednesday that LSU athletic director Scott Woodward would be stripped of his authority in the school's search for its next football coach.
LSU is searching for a new football coach after deciding this week to part ways with Brian Kelly. Woodward announced Kelly's departure on Sunday, a day after the Tigers' 49-25 loss to Texas A&M.
Kelly left Notre Dame after the 2021 season and spent less than four full seasons in Baton Rouge.
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“We had high hopes that he would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships during his time in Baton Rouge,” Woodward said in the announcement. “In the end, success at the level LSU demands simply did not materialize, and I made the decision to make a change after last night's game.”
LSU continues to finalize its $54 million buyout of Kelly, a figure Landry has criticized.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said Wednesday that LSU athletic director Scott Woodward would be stripped of his authority in the school's search for its next football coach. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“We're not going down a failed path,” Landry said Wednesday during a news conference. “The guy who's here now who wrote that contract cost Texas A&M $77 million. Right now, we have a liability of $53 million. We're not going to do that again.”
The $77 million figure Landry mentioned was a reference to former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, whom Woodward hired and whose contract negotiations he oversaw. According to multiple reports, private donors could be tapped to cover some of the costs of Kelly's buyout, which could be further offset if Kelly lands another coaching job.
Woodward has served as LSU's athletic director since 2019. The school paid Ed Orgeron a buyout of more than $17 million following his firing in 2021.
LSU head football coach Brian Kelly, right, talks with LSU athletic director Scott Woodward before a game at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. (LSU Athletics/University Images via Getty Images)
“No. I can tell you right now that Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach,” Landry said. “I'm going to leave [President] “Donald Trump selected him before I let him do it.”
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The Republican governor added: “The Board of Supervisors will form a committee and find us a coach.”
Board members are appointed by the governor.
Fox News Digital reached out to the LSU athletic department for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly stands on the sideline during a game against Vanderbilt on Oct. 18 in Nashville. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Landry made it clear that the next Tigers coach would be “adequately compensated.” However, he called for “metrics” to be placed in the agreement.
“I'm tired of rewarding failure in this country,” the governor said.
Landry also confirmed that he was involved in discussions about a coaching change that led to Kelly's dismissal.
“My role has to do with the fiscal effect of firing a coach under a terrible contract,” he said Wednesday. “The only thing I care about is what the taxpayers are going to have to pay.”
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Despite LSU's efforts to increase funding to pay transfer portal players, Kelly largely failed to live up to expectations of competing for a national championship.
LSU is on a bye week; Alabama hosts the Tigers on November 8.
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