Just a few days after firing head football coach Brian Kelly, LSU athletic director Scott Woodward is parting ways with the university as well.
LSU announced Thursday that Woodward has been fired, effective immediately. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger was first to report the news.
Governor fires athletic director. Not an Onion headline. https://t.co/oNq9i51GKu
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) October 31, 2025
“We thank Scott for the last six years of service as athletic director,” Scott Ballard, board of supervisors chair, said in a statement. “He had a lot of success at LSU, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future. Our focus now is on moving the athletic department forward and best positioning LSU to achieve its full potential.”
Verge Ausberry, the current athletic administrator in Baton Rouge, will serve as the interim athletic director.
The news comes just one day after Louisiana governor Jeff Landry blasted Woodward in a press conference while discussing LSU’s open head-coaching job.
"I can tell you right now, Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach,” Landry said. “Hell, I'll let Donald Trump select it before I let him.”
"We are not going down a failed path, and I want to tell you something, this is a pattern," Landry continued. "The guy that's here now that wrote that contract cost Texas A&M $77 million. Right now, we've got a $53 million liability. We're not doing that again ... I'm not gonna be picking the next coach, but I can promise you we're gonna pick a coach and we're gonna make sure that coach is successful, and we're gonna make sure that he's compensated properly."
Woodward was hired by LSU in April 2019. Over his tenure, he hired Kelly as well as women’s college basketball coach Kim Mulkey, who has been as successful as she has been polarizing. Earlier in his career, Woodward served as the athletic director at Washington from 2008 to ‘16 and at Texas A&M from 2016 to ‘19.
The Tigers’ football team, 5–3, and is off this week and will return to battle No. 4 Alabama on Nov. 8.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LSU Fires Athletic Director Scott Woodward Following Governor’s Comments.
