LSU Fires AD Scott Woodward, Fans Torn On This Move

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Two things can be true: LSU athletic director Scott Woodward needed to be fired and the way in which the situation was handled might be one of the worst in college sports history.

On Friday, LSU and Woodward parted ways less than a week after the school dismissed head coach Brian Kelly. LSU fell to 5-3 on the season in Saturday's loss to Texas A&M, marking back-to-back losses for the program. Between the poor performance and a growing fatigue with Kelly, his dismissal was applauded by many.

But Kelly's buyout included a massive $50 million payout, which was lambasted by the media. By far the most important person to criticize Woodward for putting it in Kelly's contract was Louisiana governor Jeff Landry.

In a now-infamous speech on the state of LSU football, Landry declared that he would not permit Woodward to name LSU's next head coach nor would any future head coach receive a contract as rich as Kelly's. The writing was on the wall from the moment Landry criticized him: Woodward was on borrowed time.

BREAKING: Athletic Director Scott Woodward and LSU are expected to part ways, @PeteNakos_ reports. https://t.co/l8mlQ6YzpBpic.twitter.com/UPhnz4kqVb

— On3 (@On3sports) October 31, 2025

Fan Reaction

As much as fans agree that Woodward needed to be held accountable for leaving LSU football in the state it's in, many also believe that the school handled the situation so poorly that Woodward should be happy to be leaving.

"This firing will be a pretty good litmus test for me deciding who’s smart within the fanbase. Hint: if you’re on Jeff Landry’s side, you’re a moron," one user remarked.

"Holding an athletic director accountable for terrible decisions. What a novel concept," wrote college basketball insider Jeff Goodman.

"LSU Athletics have won 4 National Championships in his tenure and you fire this guy. It’s a cold world," a third user wrote.

"Oh look, a university taking action against an AD that has damaged their program for several years. If only…"

"Things are going great at LSU. They’re making sure the #1 available job in the country is not attractive. Incredible strategy."

Woodward's Complicated Tenure at LSU

Outside of his first year in charge, where the core pieces to LSU's legendary 2019 national title team had already been built without him, the football program accomplished very little under his guidance.

The same can't be said for LSU's other sports, which included a national title wins in women's basketball and baseball on the backs of coaches that he hired.

But Woodward's primary directive – and that of his successor – has always been football first with men's basketball second. Everything else is tertiary. Having failed in those first two areas, he was basically doomed.

This story was originally reported by The Spun on Oct 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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