Brian Kelly and Jimbo Fisher received the two largest buyouts in college football history because of Scott Woodward. He will now be tasked with making the next hire at LSU.
That seems like a bad idea!
There is no single athletic director in college football history who has (indirectly) paid more money to head coaches not to coach. Maybe the third time is a charm?
Who is Scott Woodward?
Woodward graduated from LSU in 1985. The Baton Rouge-native co-owned a government and public relations firm that provided strategic policy direction to Fortune 500 corporations in his home town upon graduation. He was later hired by LSU chancellor Mark Emmert in 2000 to serve as the director of external affairs at his alma mater, as well as the chancellor’s representative to the athletic department.
That lasted until 2004, when the University of Washington hired Woodward to the same external affairs position. He eventually took over as the director of athletics in 2007 and served in that role until 2016.
His time in Seattle was widely considered a success, highlighted by the hires of Steve Sarkisian and Chris Petersen. The Huskies also stabilized their athletic budget during his tenure.
Come 2016, Woodward was hired to the same role at Texas A&M. Every single sports program at the university participated in postseason play while he was in College Station, but his tenure will most be remembered for the hires of Buzz Williams and Jimbo Fisher.
Scott Woodward left Texas A&M for the same job at LSU in 2019. He hired Kim Mulkey and Jay Johnson, who both won national titles. He also hired Brian Kelly to replace Ed Orgeron.
LSU’s AD is responsible for the two largest buyouts in college football history.
Brian Kelly was officially fired by the Tigers on Sunday night after a heated meeting with Scott Woodward on Sunday afternoon. The 64-year-old head coach will be paid $800,000 per month (approximately $0.30 per second) not to coach college football until a buyout agreement is reached— which could take weeks or even months.
Until then, LSU is on the hook for the second-largest buyout in college football history.
The largest buyout in college football history was/is paid to Jimbo Fisher by Texas A&M. Woodward is the common denominator.
Fortunately, he (kind of) learned from the Fisher debacle and included offset language in Kelly’s contract. The latter must search for new employment in good faith to offset the cost of the buyout.
Unfortunately, that language does not change reality.
Woodward swung and missed on Lincoln Riley and Fisher in 2021. Lane Kiffin and Mel Tucker both decided to stay where they were. Woodward eventually went with Kelly, which was an obvious culture clash from the jump.
Now, less than five years later, Fisher is out at Texas A&M and Kelly is out at LSU.
Meanwhile, coaches like Dan Lanning and Mike Elko are having great success at Oregon and Texas A&M. Woodward never gave either former defensive coordinator a look in 2021.
Why should he be trusted to make the right hire the second time around?