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Dan Wetzel
The premier university in Louisiana currently finds itself without a permanent leader, lacking both an established director of athletics and a designated head coach for its football program.
The state of Louisiana, however, is under the guidance of Governor Jeff Landry, who effectively dismissed the prior two individuals from their respective roles. Having apparently resolved all significant matters affecting the citizens of his state, Landry is now dedicating his attention to overseeing the athletic administration.
This particular undertaking consistently appears straightforward from external viewpoints, be it from online discussion forums or within the seating areas of Tiger Stadium.
Landry initially indicated that the responsibility of selecting a new football coach would be entrusted to a subcommittee formed by the university’s 17-member Board of Supervisors. Following several days of critique, interim athletic director Verge Ausberry communicated on Friday that a search committee had been established, yet he had been granted complete discretion to engage “the foremost football coach available.”
That is, unless Landry authorizes the former President to personally handle the appointment.
“He appreciates successful individuals, as you know,” Landry remarked the preceding Wednesday.
Landry was ostensibly making a humorous statement. Or so it is believed. It’s genuinely uncertain. To be sure, having a former chief executive, who lacks genuine association with the university, hand-pick the football coach, seems just as logical as arriving at the determination via a bureaucratic committee.
(Hypothetically, who would the former President designate? Perhaps a former coach or standout player turned politician? Maybe assign the duty to another political figure?)
“An absolute farcical situation,” commented one athletic director from a rival institution within the Southeastern Conference.
This is true, even by the excessive measures often connected to collegiate football.
The central question is whether such political intervention will impede LSU’s capacity to identify the appropriate combination of athletic director and coach to steer the Tigers back towards contention for a national championship title. Or even more detrimental, whether it will discourage top-tier candidates from pursuing the opportunity.
This particular sport presents sufficient challenges without the inclusion of an interfering governor.
LSU’s record diminished to 5 victories and 3 defeats on the season following a humiliating loss to Texas A&M this past Saturday. This setback prompted not solely Landry, but also a multitude of Tiger devotees, to entirely forfeit their confidence in Brian Kelly, whom athletic director Scott Woodward had successfully recruited from Notre Dame three and a half seasons prior.
Kelly’s record stood at a mere 34 wins and 14 losses (19-10 in SEC matches) during his tenure in Baton Rouge. Each of the program’s three preceding coaches had secured national championships. Kelly did not even succeed in gaining a playoff berth. In response, Landry orchestrated his termination on a Sunday, encompassing a $54 million settlement to enable Kelly and his family unit to depart.
Mere days thereafter, during a news conference concerning nutritional assistance initiatives, and standing behind a sign proclaiming “Safeguarding The Most Defenseless,” he turned his concentration toward demeaning and essentially terminating Woodward for initially hiring Kelly.
“I want to state unequivocally that Scott Woodward will not be the individual choosing our subsequent coach,” Landry declared.
Kelly’s 10-year, $100 million employment agreement clearly proved detrimental for the university, however, that financial commitment mirrored prevailing benchmarks and garnered unanimous sanction from the LSU Board of Supervisors.
Woodward misjudged Kelly, a peculiar selection who appeared uneasy amidst the rapidly evolving Name, Image, Likeness/Transfer Portal environment. Although, granting fairness, it wasn’t an utter debacle. Those three defeats throughout the current season transpired against three institutions ranked among the top 10 nationally — Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt.
It is also worthy of note that Woodward bears responsibility for recruiting LSU’s baseball and women’s basketball coaches — each of whom has guided the university to secure national championships. Women’s gymnastics has likewise achieved nationwide recognition throughout Woodward’s administration.
During prior AD positions, Woodward recruited Chris Petersen to revitalize the Washington football program and Jimbo Fisher to head Texas A&M. Fisher eventually deteriorated and was entitled to his distinct substantial settlement amounting to $76 million.
“There is a consistent pattern,” Landry stated, pertaining to Woodward’s accountability for significant payouts.
However, the governor’s timing proved inaccurate. Following certain initial successes achieved during Woodward’s time as the athletic director in College Station, Fisher’s employment agreement was, in actuality, renewed by Woodward’s replacement. Landry additionally insinuated that state taxpayers would bear the fiscal responsibility for Kelly’s financial compensation. These obligations will be satisfied via private sources.
However, in the interest of avoiding factual distractions…
Nothing of this should imply that Kelly or Woodward merited remaining in their respective roles. It merely suggests that the exercise of some level of tact would have been suitable, if solely for upholding external perceptions. Nor was Landry entirely erroneous concerning a few points — coaching agreements are spiraling out of rationality, an excessive number of athletic directors and coaches share representation, and significantly, LSU and its supporting fanbase merit a program capable of capturing national championships.
Resembling the majority of issues in political life, the availability of sufficient veracity allows virtually any case to be supported.
LSU’s predicament lies in the circumstance that this matter is not political. It revolves around collegiate sports. Passion functions as the catalyst for all endeavors, but precision remains the component for success.
Should Landry genuinely anticipate that LSU could successfully lure Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss without matching or exceeding a financial commitment analogous to Kelly’s agreement (or greater), then he displays a deficit in understanding the intricacies of the domain.
LSU possesses the necessary resources, recruiting network, and historical achievements to legitimately qualify as a top-five career destination in the country. It’s a unique setting, a highly sought-after assignment. Securing a coach, nevertheless, demands intricate negotiation. The leading candidates invariably possess other appealing alternatives — spanning from Florida to Penn State, or choosing to remain in their existing capacity. Recruitment frequently transpires discreetly, not by means of committee deliberation.
Ausberry, the executive deputy AD reporting to Woodward, serves as an integral part of the search committee, collaborating with individuals chosen from the Board of Supervisors and from among key donors.
But will these authorities genuinely empower an interim AD to make an executive employment choice potentially exceeding $100 million in total compensation?
Irrespective of whether they successfully secure a coach, there is no certainty as to whether that individual will achieve prosperity.
Presently, LSU must grapple with external perceptions of disarray… in conjunction with an unpredictable governor exercising control over the very Board of Supervisors entrusted not solely with hiring the coach, but also with employing a president and a permanent AD who must maintain close alignment during a period wherein capital dictates roster composition.
You do not solely designate a coach; the coach must equally be convinced to select you.
Louisiana generally, and LSU particularly, is consistently enveloped by a substantial element of eccentricity. This eccentricity constitutes a portion of its allure, a constituent of its charm, and a facet that renders it distinctive. Play Neck. Geaux Tigers.
Likewise, following a string of awkward incidents involving political exhibitionism, it has materialized as a self-imposed impediment to overcome.
