In the days following the firing of Brian Kelly, LSU was without a university president, athletic director, and head football coach. That created a very chaotic situation as the school began the search process for a new coach. Things are now coming together in Baton Rouge, as Wade Rousse was named LSU's next university president earlier this week.
Furthermore, it is being reported that one of Rousse's first moves as president is to promote interim athletic director Verge Ausberry to the permanent, full-time athletic director role. A formal announcement from the university hasn't been released yet, but Ross Dellinger reports that could be coming soon.
LSU's new president Wade Rousse has made the decision to elevate Verge Ausberry as permanent, full-time athletic director, sources tell @YahooSports. A formal announcement is expected in the coming days.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 5, 2025
Ausberry took over as LSU's athletic director on an interim basis following the departure of Scott Woodward. Woodward has been at LSU since 2019, and Tiger athletic teams won six National Championships under his watch. However, the failed hire of Brian Kelly proved to be too much. Kelly wsa fired just 3.5 years into his 10-year contract with a buyout of over $53 million. He leaves LSU with a 34-14 overall record, a 19-10 mark in SEC play, and zero SEC titles or College Football Playoff appearances.
Verge Ausberry clears up the Nick Saban to LSU rumors once and for all
The move to promote Ausberry isn't a surprising one. Ausberry is a New Iberia native and is in his 24th year of employment in the LSU athletics department. According to Dellinger, Ausberry will lead the search in finding LSU's next head football coach. He will work alongside select members of the LSU Board of Supervisors, donors, and the new president.
The chaotic developments in the days following Kelly's firing could have been off-putting to potential coaching candidates. But now, there seems to be more structure in place, which will hopefully ease the thoughts of potential hires. LSU can't afford to whiff on the next football coaching hire after the failed Brian Kelly experiment.