LSU's New AD Has Bigger Shoes to Fill Than People Realize

Jay Johnson got the news after a scrimmage; Kim Mulkey’s bench passed the message mid-game.

That news was LSU's decision to part ways with athletic director Scott Woodward in October, 2025.

In six years as LSU’s athletic director, Woodward assembled a core of top-tier collegiate sports. He lured legends. He landed winners. He hired a string of coaches ready for dynasties in Baton Rouge.

Verge Ausberry was named his successor, and now, after watching the years of winning under Woodward, it's Ausberry's turn.

The First Championship Hire

LSU Women's Basketball — Apr 2, 2023; Dallas, TX, USA; LSU Lady Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey reacts while cutting down a piece of the net after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes during the final round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

LSU’s women’s basketball team was in the middle of an exhibition blowout against Langston University at the PMAC when Woodward was let go. He had hired Mulkey away from Baylor in 2021, and signed her to a 10-year, $32 million deal, and made her the highest-paid women’s basketball coach in the country.

So after that game, Mulkey didn’t show up to the postgame press conference. Associate head coach Bob Starkey went in her place and delivered a message for Mulkey.

“She’s heartbroken," Starkey said.

But that relationship all started in April 2021 when LSU's women's basketball coach Nikki Fargas headed off to the WNBA. So Woodward needed a coach, and he made his move.

He picked up the phone and called Mulkey, who had spent 21 seasons at Baylor building one of the most dominant programs in women’s basketball history. Her three national championships, two undefeated seasons and a reputation as the fiercest recruiter in the sport made her a home run hire.

Mulkey had been approached by other programs before. She had always said no. This time was different.

“An introductory phone call was made early last week,” Mulkey would later say at her introductory press conference. “An offer was made the latter part of the week, and I mulled it over until Sunday afternoon. I had many opportunities to leave Baylor. This is the only place that could get me to go.”

Two years later, Mulkey delivered LSU’s first-ever women’s basketball national championship, beating Iowa in a 102-85 demolition in Dallas. Standing courtside as the nets came down, Mulkey pointed to her AD and gave him his due.

Now, after five seasons in Baton Rouge, Mulkey and the Tigers have recorded four consecutive 29-win seasons, four straight Sweet 16 appearances and a three-year run of Elite Eight finishes.

His Second Championship Hire

LSU Baseball — Jun 26, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Jay Johnson holds up the national championship trophy at the awards ceremony after the win against the Florida Gators at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Two months later, Woodward needed another head coach. So he turned his attention to baseball and found his next superstar.

Johnson was the coach at Arizona. He was not from Louisiana; he had no ties to Louisiana.

But in six seasons with the Wildcats, he had built one of college baseball’s most explosive offenses, led Arizona to two College World Series appearances and developed a reputation as the most prepared coach in the sport.

Woodward said he had never interviewed any coach for a job who was more impressive. “I wanted to hire a teacher, someone who was passionate about our student-athletes and their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community,” Woodward said. “That’s Jay Johnson."

Johnson led the Tigers to national championships in 2023 and 2025, making him the fastest coach in history to win multiple College World Series titles at a single school. Along the way, he coached Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and National League Rookie of the Year, and Dylan Crews, the Golden Spikes Award winner who went No. 2 overall in the same draft.

His Third Championship Hire

Jay Clark wasn't brought to LSU by Woodward, but it was Woodward who made Clark LSU's head coach.

Clark was brought to LSU by D-D Breaux, former LSU head gymnastics coach, in 2012 as an assistant coach.

Under Clark, LSU's gymnastics program has made four consecutive NCAA semifinal appearances and is consistently one of the top programs in the country, featuring Olympic-level talent including 2025 NCAA vault champion Kailin Chio, 2021 U.S. all-around champion Konnor McClain and 2024 U.S. Olympic alternate Kaliya Lincoln.

His Hire That Went Wrong

The third great hire of Woodward’s 2021 blitz was Brian Kelly, poached from Notre Dame on a 10-year, $95 million contract to replace the ousted Ed Orgeron.

Kelly seemed to be the right man. He was seen as a home run hire, as he was one of the winningest coaches in college football at the time.

Kelly's first three seasons saw two 10-win seasons and one nine-win season, three bowl wins, an SEC championship appearance and a Heisman quarterback. But it all was irrelevant in 2026.

While asking not to be judged while rebuilding the program his way, Kelly said he can be judged by Year 4 at LSU.

Year 4 had arrived, and Kelly had assembled the best roster, on preseason paper, that he's had at LSU and the expectations were through the roof.

One month into the season, LSU was a top-five team, and then one month after that, Kelly was fired by Woodward.

But Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry had seen enough.

Standing at a press conference about other state business, Landry was asked a question about LSU athletics, and he took his chance to point the finger directly at Woodward.

“This is a pattern,” Landry said. “The guy here now who wrote that contract cost A&M $77 million. Right now, we have a $53 million liability, and we are not doing that again.”

Woodward was also responsible for Texas A&M's hiring of Jimbo Fisher, whom the school later fired and had to pay the obscene amount of money.

But Landry's comments didn't end there.

“Maybe we’ll let President Trump pick it. He loves winners," Landry said. "No, I can tell you right now, Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach.”

Less than 48 hours later, Woodward was gone.

So LSU needed an athletic director.

The Next Era

They went with Woodward's longtime associate and interim athletic director after his firing, Ausberry.

Ausberry has now brought in Lane Kiffin and Will Wade to do the same things Woodward's hires did: win championships.

Should one, or both, accomplish that goal, Ausberry will have already proven to be the right choice for the Tigers.

But even if it takes some time, the aggressive nature of his decision making, and star power he has already lured to Baton Rouge, only bodes well for the future.

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