Landry blocks LSU AD on next football coach hire

**Louisiana Governor Landry Vows to Seize Control of Future LSU Football Coaching Hires from Athletic Director**

**BATON ROUGE, LA – March 27, 2024** – Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced a bold and unprecedented move Wednesday, declaring his intention to personally intervene in the future hiring of Louisiana State University’s head football coach, effectively sidelining current Athletic Director Scott Woodward from the process. Speaking at a press conference in Baton Rouge, Landry asserted, “Scott Woodward is not going to hire the next football coach at LSU,” signaling a significant shift of power from the university’s athletic department to the governor’s executive office.

Landry cited “fiscal responsibility” as the driving force behind his decision, specifically pointing to the reported $17.1 million buyout paid to former head coach Ed Orgeron in 2021 as a costly example of what he aims to prevent in the future. “We’ve seen these massive buyouts, and as governor, I have a responsibility to the taxpayers of Louisiana to ensure state resources are managed prudently,” Landry stated.

Woodward, who arrived at LSU in 2019, has a distinguished track record of high-profile coaching hires across multiple sports, including the successful recruitment of basketball coach Kim Mulkey and baseball coach Jay Johnson to LSU, as well as high-profile football hires during his tenures at Texas A&M and Washington. Traditionally, the athletic director, in consultation with the university president and Board of Supervisors, holds primary responsibility for identifying and selecting coaching candidates.

To implement his plan, Governor Landry indicated he would form a dedicated committee to oversee the selection process for LSU’s next football coach. While he did not elaborate on the specific “legal mechanism” he intends to employ to enforce this executive oversight, his remarks made it clear he intends to shift this significant hiring power away from the athletic department, and by extension, the LSU Board of Supervisors, and into the direct purview of the governor’s office.

This declaration introduces a layer of political intervention rarely seen in college athletics at such a high level. LSU’s football program is a cultural and economic juggernaut in the state, and the hiring of its head coach is often treated as a statewide event. While governors frequently appoint members to university boards of supervisors, direct involvement in coaching searches is highly unusual and raises questions about university autonomy and potential conflicts of interest.

The current head coach, Brian Kelly, who took over in 2022, led the Tigers to a 10-3 record in his first season and an 11-3 record in 2023. There is no immediate indication that a coaching change is imminent, but Landry’s announcement sets a new precedent for how such a decision would be handled should a vacancy arise in the future.

LSU officials, including Athletic Director Scott Woodward and University President William F. Tate IV, have not yet publicly responded to Governor Landry’s remarks. The LSU Board of Supervisors, whose members are largely appointed by the governor, holds ultimate governance over the university. How Landry intends to navigate the established legal and administrative structures of the university to implement his plan remains to be seen.

Landry, a Republican who previously served as Louisiana’s Attorney General, was elected governor in October 2023 on a platform emphasizing fiscal conservatism and government efficiency. His move could be seen as aligning with these campaign promises, applying a business-like approach to one of the state’s most high-profile public entities. However, it also opens a complex debate about the proper role of state government in the operational affairs of public universities and their athletic programs. The unfolding situation is expected to generate significant discussion across the state and within collegiate sports circles.