LSU Tigers Athletic Director Slams Former HC Brian Kelly

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It feels as though not a day goes by without someone connected to the LSU Tigers football program making headlines. The latest is athletic director Verge Ausberry on Thursday. An interview with USA Today was released, and Ausberry had some incendiary comments on former head coach Brian Kelly.

Now, nothing that Ausberry was very surprising. Kelly did not have a reputation for being the most warm-hearted person while he was in Baton Rouge and plenty of people shared stories after he got fired. Ausberry was mostly saying the quiet part out loud, which was a little surprising from a Tigers official.

In talking about the differences in culture with Lane Kiffin now in the building, Ausberry said this:

"He's not one who'll say, 'OK, I don't want people to contact me. I don't want people to touch me. I don’t want people to be around me.' That's who we had. That's why we got what we got. There was no feel, there was no connection between the LSU football program, the coach, and the fans… There was no connection and no building. Not many employees connected. The former players didn't connect. Yeah, I'm saying it."

This confirms many reports from soon after Kelly was let go that former players were not as welcome to return and spend time around the program after moving on. That's just one way that proves that Kelly was not a good fit for Baton Rouge.

Coaching at LSU is different. The culture calls for someone who embraces every aspect of the school, and that includes connecting with fans and former players. The coach has to be ready for the limelight and the extra stuff that comes with being a part of the Tigers family.

Ausberry's whole point is that, with Kiffin, he thinks they can employ more of an "Nick Saban model" where the coach is a part of every aspect of the program, and is active with boosters and securing as much NIL as possible. It seems as though Kelly was less willing to play "games" and the program was hurt by it.

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