Much of LSU’s ongoing overhaul of its university and athletic department leadership fell into place in a matter of hours Tuesday.
The Board of Supervisors elected early Tuesday afternoon to hire McNeese State president Wade Rousse as the next president of LSU’s university system and Alabama provost James Dalton as provost and chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus.
And Rousse has decided to name interim athletic director Verge Ausberry to the position on a permanent basis, The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander reported early Tuesday evening according to sources.
“This is a great opportunity,” Ausberry said Friday. “I’m a little boy from New Iberia, La., who had the opportunity to come here in 1985 and start at the bottom — started last on the depth chart and work my way through the ranks, was able to start here two years and lead the team in tackles two years and play on some very successful teams, two SEC championship teams.
“That’s where I start from: the hard work and parlaying that into my career here and starting at the bottom again as a graduate assistant, working in compliance and working in academics. Working from there in the Tiger Athletic Foundation, and from there the associate athletic director with (former athletic director Skip Bertman) and worked my way through the ranks. So I know what hard work is, and I know what it is be a part of LSU.”
LSU’s — at times dramatic — search for a new president took about three months and several meetings before punctuating Tuesday with the votes to return to split leadership roles for the state and Baton Rouge campus and hire Rousse and Dalton, respectively.
The university announced Sunday, Oct. 26, and Monday, Oct. 27, that football coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan would be relieved of their duties and Thursday, Oct. 30, that it would also part ways with athletic director Scott Woodward.
Associate head coach Frank Wilson III was tabbed to lead the Tigers for the remainder of this season.
Board members Scott Ballard and John Carmouche introduced Ausberry on Friday, Oct. 31, as Woodward’s interim replacement and emphasized he would have the “full authority” to lead the department’s coaching search and ultimately determine the hire.
“Verge is the ideal person to lead this department through this change,” Carmouche said Friday. “And I want to be very clear: He has full authority to do so. That includes leading our search for the next head coach and hiring our next head coach.
“Verge is a native son of Louisiana and LSU. He is a multi-time alumnus of this institution, a former championship-winning linebacker and a longtime senior university administrator. Simply put, he’s spent all of his adult life working to make this athletic department and this state better. Not only has Verge worked in almost every area of the athletic department since he started as an employee in 1991, but he’s also been a tremendous asset to the university leadership with his campus role in governmental and community relations.”