LSU, Woodward Split; New Athletic Director Has Authority to Hire New Football Coach

• Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said yesterday that athletic director Scott Woodward wouldn’t have authority to hire a new football coach after dismissing Brian Kelly.
• LSU interim Verge Ausberry has “full authority” to hire a new coach.
• Jon Sumrall, Joe Brady, and Lane Kiffin are the favorites to be LSU’s next football coach.

LSU fired athletic director Scott Woodward on Thursday night after the Louisiana governor said he would have no say in the new football coach.

However, interim AD Verge Ausberry will have authority to hire the new coach, and the favorites for the job are Jon Sumrall, Joe Brady, and Lane Kiffin.

LSU Parts Ways with Woodward, Ausberry Setting Up Committee to Find New Coach

LSU and Woodward mutually agreed to part ways on Thursday night.

However, the writing was on the wall after LSU governor Jeff Landry said Woodward would have no authority to hire a new coach, in the latest example of government getting involved in sports.

Verge Ausberry has replaced Woodward on an interim basis, but it is revealed that he will have “full authority” to hire Brian Kelly’s replacement. He said,

"We're going to hire the best football coach there is. That's our job. We are not going to let this program fail. LSU has to be in the playoffs every year in football. There's 12 teams that make it. It's going to expand here. We have to be one of those teams at LSU. No substitute."

Ausberry is from Louisiana, and played linebacker for LSU from 1986 to 1989, leading the team in tackles in his last two years. He has been involved with the athletics department at LSU since the 1990s. Ausberry also said that a coaching committee has already been set up to find a replacement for Kelly, who was fired on Sunday after a 49-25 home trouncing at the hands of Texas A&M.

Who is the favorite for the job at college football betting sites?

Sumrall, Brady, Kiffin Favored for LSU Job

Despite everything that is going on, LSU is still one of the most attractive jobs on the market, and arguably, the most attractive. BetUS has odds for the favorites. Tulane’s Jon Sumrall (+150) is leading the way as an in-state prospect.

But Joe Brady (+200), offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, is next. Brady was the offensive coordinator for the 2019 LSU team that featured Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase. That team spawned five first-round picks, four of which were on offense, including Burrow at #1 (Chase went in the first round a year later).

Lane Kiffin (+300) is doing an impressive job at Ole Miss and was the offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2014 to 2016. Former Penn State coach James Franklin (+600) and Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz are also in the mix.

There will probably be a decision made sooner rather than later, as recruiting never stops in college football. But there is no shortage of options for Ausberry and his committee to sift through for the head-coaching job at LSU!