LSU AD takes parting shots at Brian Kelly in scathing interview: 'There was no connection'

Entering the 2026 college football season, the LSU Tigers are perhaps the most interesting team in the country.

LSU hired Lane Kiffin to replace Brian Kelly as its head football coach, as Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss was extremely controversial. Now, the Tigers hope Kiffin can bring the team a National Championship all while the program has a spotlight on it from day one.

However, LSU is not shying away from the decision to hire Kiffin. Athletic director Verge Ausberry gave an interview with USA Today in which he praised Kiffin's first few months all while condemning Brian Kelly in the process. 

Here's what Ausberry had to say about Kelly.

MORE: Lane Kiffin under fire for 'Lack of Diversity' comments

LSU AD's comments on Brian Kelly

In an interview with USA Today, LSU AD Verge Ausberry praised Lane Kiffin and heavily criticized former head coach Brian Kelly. Ausberry discussed how Kiffin has already immersed himself into the LSU community and hasn't been afraid to socialize with supporters in a way that Kelly seemingly avoided.

"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," Ausberry said about Kiffin. "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."

Ausberry continued to speak about Kelly and why he believed the former head coach failed in Baton Rouge. The Tigers' AD mentioned Kelly never appeared to try and get together with alumni and other important members of the program.

"There was no connection and no building," Ausberry said. "Not many employees connected. The former players didn't connect. Yeah, I'm saying it. Now, former players live over there (at the facility), go over there, we welcome them over there, (they) work out over there. That's what we want. That's who LSU used to be. Former players came in the weight room, and they worked out. There wasn't signing no form to be able to work out, or, 'Who are you? You can't work out at this time.'"

Kelly always appeared to be a strange fit with LSU, as he is from the northeast and never coached in the south before. However, LSU considered his success at Notre Dame as something that could translate to the SEC.

Instead, Kelly was never able to get LSU to a College Football Playoff and failed to reach the high expectations that come with the job.

Ausberry mentioned that the program's goal is to get back to the Nick Saban style where the head coach considerd his job to be a steward of the whole program. Therefore, it's no surprise that the Tigers hired a coach who used to work under Saban.