Scott Woodward-LSU row: After Brian Kelly, top boss bites the dust; Verge Ausberry gets promoted

Scott Woodward has left his job a day after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry slammed the LSU athletic director

Updated on: Oct 31, 2025 7:51 AM IST

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Scott Woodward has left his job. A day after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry stated that the LSU athletic director would not have a say in the school's next hire - Brian Kelly's successor - Woodward resigned. Executive deputy athletics director Verge Ausberry has been promoted to an interim level.

Scott Woodward has resigned as LSU athletic director (AP)

As per the reports, LSU and Woodward are currently finalizing an exit agreement. The Baton Rouge native and LSU graduate was hired as athletic director at his alma mater in April 2019. Since then, LSU has won national championships in football, baseball (twice), women's basketball and gymnastics.

“We thank Scott for the last six years of service as athletic director,” LSU Board of Supervisors chairman Scott Ballard said. “He had a lot of success at LSU.

"Our focus now is on moving the athletic department forward and best positioning LSU to achieve its full potential.”

Verge Ausberry, LSU's executive deputy athletic director, will replace Woodward on an interim basis and lead the search for a football coach, the university announced.

On Wednesday, Gov Landry told reporters that he'd let President Donald Trump take a call on the next coach before Woodward. LSU fired Brian Kelly on Sunday, after the team lost 49-25 to Texas A&M at home to drop to 5-3.

"No, I can tell you right now Scott Woodward is not selecting our next coach," Landry told reporters. He added that the LSU Board of Supervisors will assemble a selection committee to find a new coach.

"Maybe we'll let President Trump pick it. He loves winners. You know, I'm not going to be picking the next coach, but I can promise you we're gonna pick a coach and we're gonna make sure that that coach is successful. We're gonna make sure that he's compensated properly, and we're gonna put metrics on it because I'm tired of rewarding failure in this country and then leaving the taxpayers to foot the bill."

(With AP inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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