Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said athletic director Scott Woodward will not lead LSU’s next football hire, with the Board of Supervisors forming a committee to run the search, a striking response to massive buyouts and mounting scrutiny of the program’s stewardship.
Nick Saban’s view of what makes a job elite has shifted, and his framing explains why the LSU opening is so complex in 2025. Speaking to On3, Saban said the old pillars, facilities, fan base, academics, and a strong recruiting footprint now take a back seat to one factor: how much money you can deploy to build a roster.
He called that the most important thing by far, a blunt acknowledgement that NIL and portal economics now drive the pecking order. On3 also noted how Saban’s arrival in 2000 helped LSU align politically and institutionally, setting a foundation that produced three national titles under three different coaches, Saban in 2003, Les Miles in 2007, and Ed Orgeron in 2019.
Saban pointed to Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss as proof that jobs once considered a tier below can vault upward when boosters and infrastructure consistently fund roster building. He said you evaluate roles differently now, asking whether a school will actually invest what it takes, every year, to win.
He reiterated that he is not against players being paid, but criticized the current system and its impact on development and stability. That lens matters in Baton Rouge, where On3 reported LSU spent heavily to land a top-rated portal class, yet still trails the biggest national spenders.
Coaches and administrators who spoke to On3 argued LSU remains uniquely powerful because of Louisiana’s talent base and lack of in-state competition, plus access to I-10 recruiting corridors into Texas and Mississippi.
The sentiment is that LSU provides as good a launchpad as any job in America, provided the school keeps pace financially and maintains alignment at the top.
In practical terms, Saban’s rubric narrows LSU’s checklist for the next coach, after Brian Kelly's being fired, to a few non-negotiables: command of the portal and high school recruiting, a proven plan to deploy NIL resources efficiently, staff building that retains elite developers at OC, DC, and S&C, and an organizational blueprint that sustains roster depth year over year.
The hire must show how he will keep Louisiana’s core talent home, raid the I-10 corridor, and translate funding into immediate two-deep gains without eroding player development. In this era, culture, evaluation, and cap-like discipline around NIL are as decisive as scheme, and LSU’s choice will be judged on how quickly those pieces turn into wins.
