Verge Ausberry sends message to LSU fans, confirms appointment as AD

Shortly after LSU president Wade Rousse posted on social media Thursday that Tigers athletic director Verge Ausberry has his support, the pair had a meeting. It’s now been revealed that it was to formalize Ausberry’s position as AD moving forward.

Ausberry penned a statement to LSU fans following Thursday’s meeting. He attempted to ease the minds of fans following an interesting couple of weeks in Baton Rouge.

“As an important part of the Tigers community, I want to share with you directly that President Rousse this afternoon formalized my appointment as LU’s Director of Athletics,” the statement read. “There’s been much change over the past two weeks, but our commitment to LSU sports and to its student-athletes remains the same. We are already quietly assessing candidates for head football coach and we will accept nothing short of finding a coach who will make the Tigers a National Championship contender year in and year out. I will continue to keep you advised of our progress.

“Stewardship of LSU’s athletics is an honor and the work of my entire lifetime. I will not fail you. Thank you for your strong commitment to LSU – I know we’re going to continue to do great things together.

“In Louisiana, our flagship institution enjoys the advantages of a talented staff, rich traditions and passionate fans. With our big personalities and commitment to winning, we expect to succeed across the board, every year. As Tigers, we accept no less. We are LSU!”

Some of the biggest takeaways from the message are that the Tigers have already begun vetting names for its head coaching search. Of course, no names are going to be thrown out there — but Ausberry made it clear that whoever it is will have to keep LSU relevant on the national stage on a yearly basis.

Additionally — Ausberry’s promise to not fail the Tigers faithful is a bold one. However, Ausberry does have the support from LSU’s new president and has his full confidence to hire the next head football coach.

Now that a new AD and president have been hired in Baton Rouge, all their focus can be on hiring a new head coach to replace Brian Kelly. Kelly spent three and a half seasons with the program and despite winning at least nine games each year — he fell under those expectations by never leading the Tigers to the College Football Playoff. The next coach will be expected to turn the program around in short order.