In yet another wild development in the week of LSU athletics, athletic director Scott Woodward and the university have decided to part ways. Woodward, a Baton Rouge native and LSU graduate, has been leading the LSU athletic department since April 2019. Since then, LSU teams have brought home six national championships.
Kim Mulkey's reaction to Scott Woodward firing spells disaster for LSU as a whole
Verge Ausberry is set to take on the role of interim athletic director until Woodward's replacement is found. As it stands, LSU does not have a university president, athletic director, or head football coach. The chaotic situation has made for a wild bye week, and the national spotlight on LSU for all the wrong reasons.
But as his time in Baton Rouge comes to an end, Woodward has penned a passionate goodbye letter to LSU fans.
A letter to LSU fans from LSU alum and Louisiana native Scott Woodward pic.twitter.com/QmwWgLsJNf
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 31, 2025
Scott Woodward out as LSU athletic director
The move to oust Woodward came four days after Brian Kelly was fired as the head coach of the LSU Football program. Earlier in the week, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry made several comments on the upcoming coaching search. Most notably, he stated that Woodward would not be involved in the hiring process. Instead, the LSU Board of Supervisors would be leading all hiring efforts for finding Brian Kelly's replacement.
Woodward's failed hires of Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and Brian Kelly at LSU are the main reason why Landry said he won't be making the decision of LSU's next head coach. “This is a pattern," Landry said. "The guy (Woodward) here now that wrote that contract cost A&M $77 million. Right now, we have a $53 million liability and we are not doing that again."
Woodward nailed the hires of Kim Mulkey and Jay Johnson, as both have delivered national titles to the school during their respective tenures. Mulkey led the LSU women's basketball program to its first-ever national title in 2023, while Johnson led the Tiger baseball program to national titles in 2023 and 2025. But it seems that those home run hires weren't enough to compensate for the failed experiment of Brian Kelly.
With so many high-level leadership positions left to fill, big changes are in the works at LSU. The new university president is set to be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The search for an athletic director and head football coach are still in the early stages. Tiger fans are hoping that the staff changes bring the football program back to a championship level. After the bye week, LSU next battles No. 4 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Nov. 8.