The Governor Who Inserted Himself Into a College Football Coaching Search

It’s not uncommon for a Louisiana governor to get involved in the workings of LSU football—and Jeff Landry is no exception.

Through a string of media appearances over the past 24 hours, Gov. Landry has inserted himself into the search for the next LSU football coach. And even though he said he won’t choose the next coach himself, the influence he wields is undeniable.

During a press conference Wednesday, Landry said that LSU’s Board of Supervisors, whose members he appoints, would make the decision—not athletic director Scott Woodward. (That was news to board chair Scott Ballard, however.) On Thursday, Landry also weighed in on what he believes the terms of the next coach’s contract should be. If LSU—and taxpayers indirectly— has to foot the bill, Landry vowed to be involved in approving the terms of the next coach’s contract.

The saga began Sunday, when Landry held a meeting at the governors’ mansion in Baton Rouge just hours before news broke that LSU would fire head football coach Brian Kelly—and owe him a $53 million buyout. (His office did not respond to multiple inquiries from Front Office Sports.)

On Wednesday, at a press conference to discuss state-funded assistance programs, Landry confirmed the meeting at the governors’ mansion Sunday. The reason was not to discuss whether Kelly should be fired, he said, but rather “to talk about the legalities, the cost, talk about who pays for [Kelly’s buyout] and what’s the effect of it,” he said. “It was a meeting to discuss the legalities of the contract.” 

In a subsequent media appearance on The Pat McAfee Show Thursday, Landry said he was concerned that Louisiana taxpayers would be left paying Kelly’s buyout if other donors didn’t foot the bill.

On Thursday afternoon, he tweeted screenshots of Kelly’s contract along with an explanation: “Brian Kelly’s contract was with the Board of LSU, it’s in the first paragraph, and LSU is a subdivision of the State. This makes the State liable for any debt. Thus, putting the ultimate responsibility on the backs of Louisiana taxpayers. As I stated, that is why public officials would be concerned with these contracts.”

Landry also told McAfee that the next LSU football coach wouldn’t get the same deal. “I think that everyone is in agreement… The next coach that we hire is going to have a patently different contract.” In another appearance on ESPN Sports Radio, Landry said he planned to be involved with the contract development, and floated the idea of offering more performance-based compensation, rather than guaranteed income.

As a public university, LSU receives public taxpayer dollars. Kelly’s contract was between him and the school, so his buyout would be an expense paid by the university, and potentially funded indirectly through taxpayer money. That’s standard across college football. However, it’s also standard for coach buyouts to be covered by athletic department revenues and fundraising, as well as booster donations. Schools can negotiate smaller buyouts than those stipulated in contracts—as LSU has said it is doing with Kelly.

On Wednesday, Landry also assailed athletic director Scott Woodward, who he blamed for signing off on Jimbo Fisher’s $75 million buyout while at Texas A&M. (Woodward hired Fisher in 2017, but was gone by the time Fisher signed the extension that made his buyout the highest in college football.) He said the Board of Supervisors would choose the next coach—not the athletic director. “Hell, I’d let Donald Trump select him before I’d let him do it,” Landry said, a quote that quickly went viral. 

If the Board of Supervisors will choose the next coach, the governor will have direct influence, since he appoints members of that board. Landry has also played an outsized role in LSU’s administration recently because the school lacks a permanent university president; a new one will be chosen Tuesday.

It’s unclear if this plan had been discussed previously by any administrators at LSU, however. On Wednesday LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Scott Ballard told a local reporter that he “did not know” his board would be tasked with assembling a committee to find the next football coach.

Representatives for LSU did not respond to a press inquiry from FOS, and have not issued any public statement about Landry’s comments Thursday.