LSU Football Parts Ways With General Manager Austin Thomas Amid Lane Kiffin Hiring

Kiffin and Co. make a change in the front office, multiple moving parts amid a coaching change in Baton Rouge.

Courtesy of LSU OC Joe Sloan's X/Twitter.

LSU and General Manager Austin Thomas have parted ways amid staff changes in Baton Rouge, according to Football Scoop.

Thomas, the first executive to hold the general manager title at the collegiate level, will not return to LSU for the 2026 season following the hiring of Lane Kiffin as the program's new head coach.

Despite Kiffin and Thomas working together at three different stops, the two will not navigate this next chapter in the Bayou State alongside each other with significant staff changes being made.

According to Football Scoop, "Thomas and Kiffin worked together at Ole Miss, where Thomas held a similar, senior level-role that included helping negotiate assistant coaches' salaries and contracts, game-scheduling responsibilities and various other tasks."

But Thomas made the move to depart Ole Miss in January of 2024 to reunite with then LSU athletics director Scott Woodward - who was ultimately let go in October following the departure of Brian Kelly.

Lane is making changes... Austin Thomas will not be part of the staff going forward sources share https://t.co/HYZ823jVBU

— FootballScoop (@FootballScoop) December 4, 2025

In Thomas' return to LSU in 2024, it became his third stint in Baton Rouge where he previously served as general manager for the Tigers in 2021 and was a staff member from 2013-17.

He was elevated to general manager at LSU for the first time in 2016, becoming the first person in college football to hold that title.

Thomas returned to Baton Rouge after two years at Ole Miss, where he served as football chief of staff and sport administrator for the Rebel football program in 2022 and 2023.

Ole Miss had perhaps the best season in school history in 2023, winning a program record 11 games, beating Penn State in the Peach Bowl and finishing the year ranked No. 9 in the nation.

But Kiffin has now brought in his own general manager this time around with Ole Miss' Billy Glasscock following him to Baton Rouge as LSU's new top executive.

Courtesy of LSU OC Joe Sloan's X/Twitter.

Along with Glasscock, Kiffin has reeled in multiple pieces from his time in Oxford with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox, wide receivers coach George McDonald, and strength coach Nick Savage all signing term sheets with LSU.

LSU will also add Ole Miss' Dwike Wilson where he will serve as the Director of Recruiting for the Tigers.

Now, the next chapter of LSU Football will be without Thomas, one of the most respected front office figures in the sport, as Kiffin makes his changes across his first week in Baton Rouge.

More LSU News:

LSU Football Hires Elite Offensive Coordinator, Five Assistant to Lane Kiffin's Staff

Three Takeaways From Lane Kiffin's Introductory Press Conference With LSU Football

Lane Kiffin Reveals How Nick Saban, Pete Carroll Influenced Decision to LSU Football

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