LSU interim athletic director Verge Ausberry has something his fired predecessor did not have: authority to hire the school’s next football coach.
Ausberry, along with university Board of Supervisors members John Carmouche and Scott Ballard, met with the media briefly Friday morning in Baton Rouge, La., working to reassure the LSU community about the plan moving forward.
The week has been a whirlwind for LSU. Football coach Brian Kelly was fired Monday after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M left the Tigers with a 5-3 record. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry was critical of Kelly’s $54 million buyout and vowed athletic director Scott Woodward would not hire Kelly’s replacement.
On Thursday, Woodward was fired and Ausberry was given the job on an interim basis.
Ausberry said a search committee, which will include Ballard and Carmouche, is being formed to assist with the search.
The interim AD — a former LSU linebacker — has spent 24 years working in the Tigers’ athletic department, most recently as executive deputy athletic director.
Ausberry said the events of the week — including the perceptions of government interference possibly created in the coaching community — will not keep top coaches from being interested in the job.
“We’re LSU. Our phone is still ringing,” Ausberry said. “It’s one of the best jobs in the country. It is the best job in the country at this time. I don’t see any problems bringing the right person to LSU.”
And the interim AD vowed that LSU will become a College Football Playoff team.
“We’re going to hire the best football coach there is,” Ausberry said. “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.”
“We’re LSU,” Ausberry said. “This place is not broken. The athletic department is not broken. We win.”
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to announce the hiring of LSU’s next president on Tuesday.
“We’re not slowing down for that,” Ballard said. “Verge is going to move forward and knows what he needs to do. But, depending on how that works out and when the new president starts, the new president will absolutely have input and hopefully hit the ground running.”
