LSU President names a permanent AD on Day 1 of his tenure

LSU’s new president Wade Rousse wasted no time in making his decision on who the new athletic director will be at LSU as he promoted Verge Ausberry from the interim to permanent, full time athletic director, per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo and On3.

The Advocate reported that Ausberry was already in position to hire the next football coach and now this job title ensures that he will be spearheading the decision for LSU as it looks for its next head coach.

With a president and athletic director now in place, a football coach is the final major step in putting the pieces back into place in Baton Rouge as everyone looks to get this program back on its feet.

“This is a great opportunity,” Tate said of being named the interim AD last week. “I’m a little boy from New Iberia, Louisiana, who had the opportunity to come here in 1985. Started last on the depth chart, worked my way through, was able to start here two years, 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. I parlayed that into my career here. Started at the bottom again as a graduate assistant, working in compliance, then for the Tiger Athletic Foundation. From there, I became an associate athletic director with Skip Bertman.

I worked my way through the ranks. I know what hard work is; I know what it means to be part of LSU. I’ve walked these halls. I’ve walked those quads. I’ve walked Allen Hall, Coates Hall — all the great halls at LSU. I want our fan base to know one thing: LSU is not broken. The LSU athletic department is not broken. I think we have the best athletic department in the country. I think we have the best staff in the country.

I’ve been part of 18 national championships at LSU — six of them recently. I’ve been part of four national championship games, won three national championships. I’ve been part of seven SEC championships, two as a player. I know what it takes to win. We know what it takes to win. And that’s our job — that’s our mission.”

Here is what Board Chairman John Carmuche said of Ausberry last week when introducing him at the leadership press conference.

“As we transition into the next chapter, I’m proud to introduce Verge Ausberry as the Interim Director of Athletics,” Carmuche said. “I have to tell you, we are very excited. Verge is the ideal person to lead this department through this change. And I want to be very clear: he has full authority to do so — that includes leading the search for our next head coach and hiring our next head coach.

Verge is a native son of Louisiana and LSU. He’s a multi-time alumnus of this institution, a former championship-winning linebacker on the football team, 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, he’s also been a tremendous asset to university leadership with his campus role in governmental and community relations. From the time he arrived on campus as a football student-athlete, Verge has been associated with excellence and championships. That’s the standard he will uphold as interim athletic director.”