LSU introduced New Iberia native and longtime athletic administrator Verge Ausberry as its interim athletics director. After a tumultuous week that saw the firing of Head Football Coach Brian Kelly and the departure of Athletics Director Scott Woodward, Ausberry had this message for LSU fans…
“The LSU Athletic Department is not broken,” Ausberry said. “I think we have the best athletic department in the country, I think we have the best staff in the country, the executive team is second to none, I put them up against anyone, they are the best, and they will get the job done.”
Ausberry says his main job is to find the best football coach that LSU can hire. He’s forming a committee that includes members of the LSU Board of Supervisors and the major donors to the athletic program.
“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 at LSU,” Ausberry said.
Before Governor Jeff Landry spoke about the language in college football coaches’ contracts and the dismissal of Woodward as athletic director, the LSU football coaching vacancy was considered one of the best in the country. Ausberry still feels that way, and interest is high.
“A lot of candidates still want to come to LSU, it is the best job in the country, and we are going to find the right person and I don’t see any problems in getting the right person being the head coach at LSU,” Ausberry said.
Two LSU Board of Supervisors were in attendance. Scott Ballard, who is the chairman, and John Carmouche, who is the chairman of the athletics committee.
Neither would go into detail on why Woodward is no longer the athletics director. They said it was a decision that Woodward and the Board thought was best for the university.
Landry said on Wednesday he did not want Woodward to hire the next football coach.