IT’S ONLY SEC : A CAJUN GAME OF THRONES

politics & sport – a dangerous marriage

If all of the above wasn’t interesting enough, this is where it gets fascinating.

Ok, first things first. Frank Wilson has been named interim Head coach until a successor is appointed. Wilson has been on the Tigers staff for 10 years and appears to be the natural choice to step in and steady the ship. Wilson was previously the Head coach at UTSA and McNeese State, so LSU believes the football team is in safe hands. This is the easy bit. Next, they have to appoint a successor to Kelly.

Unless the school is private, it is part of the State education system, which is the case with Louisiana State University, as its name suggests. This means that for the bigger schools, the football Head coach is often the highest-paid public servant in the State. Which, depending on the circumstances, can attract a lot of attention. Take LSU, for example. Brian Kelly’s annual salary paid by the Tigers was over $10 million annually. Compare that with the salary of Louisiana State Governor, Jeff Landry, who is paid $130,000 annually. So while Kelly’s compensation package comes under criticism, you can bet that the terms & conditions of his successor will come under even more scrutiny.

This is not a new spotlight for college football to find itself in. Up until James Franklin’s dismissal, the financial spectre of Jimbo Fisher loomed large over Texas A&M (and Florida State also), and dare I say it, LSU is probably still paying compensation to erstwhile Head Coach Ed Orgeron for his ugly exit.

Governor speaks out

However, this week, the firing of Kelly took a bizarre twist when the Governor of Louisiana intervened in the debate. In a most unusual step, but oh so Louisiana in style, Governor Landry came out publicly and was scathing of the Kelly debacle. Speaking at a press conference for something entirely unrelated to football, Landry was asked about the situation at LSU. He did not miss the opportunity to make headlines about Kelly’s exit.

“My role is about the fiscal effect of firing a coach under a terrible contract,” Landry said. “All I care about is what the taxpayers are going to be on the hook for.” 

However, to clarify, LSU football is a profit-making organisation and generates revenue that is reinvested in the overall school fund. There has been no suggestion that the State of Louisiana will be asked or expected to meet the cost of Kelly’s exit. Indeed, it is widely reported that several high-net-worth donors have already agreed to fund Kelly’s exit. But that didn’t stop Landry from his stinging criticism.

“If big billionaires want to spend all that kind of money, no problem,” Landry said. “But if I’ve got to go find $53 million … it’s not going to be a pleasant conversation.” Continued the Governor before turning his attention to the man who hired Kelly.

Landry was asked about Athletic Director Scott Woodward’s role in identifying Kelly’s replacement. Landry did not shy from his views on Woodward.

“Hell, I’ll let Donald Trump select him before I let him do it,” Landry said of Woodward during his press conference.

Which leads us to Scott Woodward’s position as Athletic Director.  Woodward joined the Tigers from Texas A&M in 2019. While Landry pointed the finger at Woodward for the outrageous exit fee that Jimbo Fisher received when he left College Station, this was inaccurate. While Woodward gave Fisher his original contract, it was Ross Bjork who extended and increased Fisher’s contract.

did Woodward deserve to go?

Indeed, without feeling any need to defend Woodward, he has successfully recruited Kim Mulkey, who has revolutionised LSU Women’s basketball and turned them into National Champions. Woodward also recruited Jay Johnson, who led the Tigers to the College Baseball World Series and eventual National Champions in 2023 and 2025. Add in Jay Clark, who heads the incredibly successful LSU gymnastics squad—the very same that produced superstar Liv Dunne —and Woodward’s recruitment would and should be considered exceptional in most other places. But it was the success of the football team that fans, boosters and Administration crave more than anything else.

The expectation in Baton Rouge as a minimum is a Play-off place every season and to be fighting for National Championships. In year four under Coach Kelly, these objectives seemed further away than ever before during his tenure.

Which sadly meant that late on Thursday night/ early Friday morning, the news came out that Woodward and LSU had “mutually agreed” to part ways.

After the Governor’s remarks, this seemed an inevitable outcome, although the Administration were at pains to point out that the Governor’s comments had nothing to do with Woodward’s exit.