Verge Ausberry may be new to the athletic director post at LSU, but his time with the Baton Rouge school stretches back to his days a linebacker for the Tigers and also as a member of the athletic department during Nick Saban's time roaming the sidelines for the Tigers.
Knowing that, it should really come as no surprise that when he was tasked with a monumental hire for the football program late last year, not only did he swing for the fences, but he plucked the hottest coaching candidate in the country who also happened to have a background working for Saban.
Coming off a few seasons under Brian Kelly, who won just over 70% of his games while leading the Tigers, but managed to make the playoffs exactly zero times along with no SEC titles as well in three full seasons at the helm, the college football bluebood was certainly solid, finishing with 10-wins in each of Kelly's first two seasons before a slight dip to 9-4 in year three. However, they were far from the crown of college football that the fans on the bayou have come to expect.
In an interview with USA Today Sports recently, Ausberry shared his unique perspective on the differences between the program's new leader in Kiffin, and Kelly.
“It’s going back to the Saban model, [which means] running the whole program," he shared.
"You have to go do some things with alumni and do things with boosters and do things with fundraising, with NIL. You have to be a part of that.”
“That’s what Lane will do. He’ll go out there and have that conversation with the donors and the people who support the program and say, ‘We need your help,’ and give them his cell number."
“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,' Ausberry shared, referring to Kelly's approach compared to Kiffin's.
"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.”
He goes on to share that under Kelly, "there was no connection and no building" among both LSU employees as well as former players.
Under Kiffin, former players now practically live at the facility, they work out there, and they're always welcome there. Under Kelly, Ausberry says former players had to sign a form to be able to work out and certain times, and were questioned when there were there outside of those times.
Ausberry's critical comments come on the heels of an interview USA Today did with Brian Kelly recently where the former Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Notre Dame head coach shared how he plans to coach again, and has been leaning on AI everyday to help him prepare for the right opportunity.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.