LSU Clarifies Athletics Leadership After Another Week of Confusion

After yet another week of confusion over leadership at LSU, incoming president Wade Rousse confirmed that Verge Ausberry will be the school’s permanent athletic director through social media posts, letters to fans, and statements to local media.

The unsubtle statements were necessary after Rouse flip-flopped on the status of Ausberry’s title after being voted president last Tuesday—an ever-important detail, given that Ausberry is searching for the next head football coach.

Thursday evening, Rousse published a photo of the two at Tiger Stadium with a caption that read: “I just had a terrific meeting with LSU’s AD Verge Ausberry.” Notably, the statement did not call Ausberry an interim athletic director, as he was named last week, nor did it call him “acting” athletic director, as Rousse referred to him earlier this week.

Ausberry also wrote a letter to fans: “As an important part of the Tigers community, I want to share with you directly that President Rousse this afternoon formalized my appointment as LSU’s Director of Athletics,” he said.

On LSU’s website, Ausberry is now listed the athletic director, no interim title. “A former LSU football standout and in his 24th year of employment in the athletic department, Verge Ausberry serves as LSU’s Director of Athletics. Ausberry was previously named the Interim Director of Athletics on Oct. 30, 2025,” his bio reads.

Rousse was elected LSU president with an expected start date of Nov. 17. One of his first tasks: to project stability after the school had gone without a president for months, and had lost both its athletic director and head football coach. (Brian Kelly was fired two weeks ago, and involvement from Gov. Jeff Landry ended with the abrupt exit of previous athletic director Scott Woodward.)

Ausberry said he would take hold of the coaching search, assembling a committee that included him as well as LSU board members, donors, and eventually the new university president. But questions remained about whether it was in the best interest of the school to allow an interim athletic director pick the next coach, especially after the confusion Landry caused.

Then, hours after Rousse was voted in, reports surfaced saying he would name Ausberry the permanent athletic director.

But just a day later, the pendulum swung the other way as Rousse indicated Ausberry would not necessarily be the permanent AD. “I’ll remove the interim [title] and then we’ll assess the situation,”he said in an interview with the Louisiana Illuminator. “I can’t make a very good decision after being on that—on the job for eight hours.” He then added: “I don’t know what permanent means versus removing the interim.” (Rousse also said he didn’t know much about a Title IX scandal that resulted in Ausberry being suspended in 2021.)

The clean-up began Thursday morning. A “source from the LSU president’s office” told LouisianaSports.net that Rousse had “no plans” to replace Ausberry. “Athletics needs a stable hand at the helm, and that is Verge Ausberry.”

Rousse’s social media post and Ausberry’s letter to fans appeared later that evening. 

Heading into the weekend, when Tigers football will take on No. 4 Alabama, LSU leadership finally has clarity. Ausberry will lead LSU sports for the foreseeable future. He will report directly to Rousse. Together, along with the members of their search committee, they will find—in Ausberry’s words—”the best football coach there is.”