Louisiana Governor takes brutal swipe at LSU director over $132m mistakes and claims he'd rather TRUMP chose the next head coach

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward has handed out the two largest college football coaching contract buyouts in history. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry won't let him make a choice that could lead to a third.

Earlier this week, LSU fired head coach Brian Kelly after the former Notre Dame coach failed to meet the ever-so-lofty standards of the Tigers' football program.

The choice for a successor is typically in the hands of the athletic director. However, considering the institution's close ties to the state government, Landry announced in a press conference that he would be taking the decision out of Woodward's hands.

'No, I can tell you right now Scott Woodward is not selecting the next head coach,' Landry said during a press conference at the state capitol just down the road from the school in Baton Rouge.

He jokingly added, 'Hell, I'll let Donald Trump do it before I let him do it.'

Kelly's $53million buyout is the second biggest in college football history. The largest, at $77m, belongs to former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher - who was hired to coach the Aggies by none other than Woodward when he helmed that school's athletic department.

In the press conference, Landry referenced the Fisher buyout as a reason why Woodward wouldn't be picking the coach. Instead, Landry is handing the decision over to the LSU Board of Supervisors. 

'We are not going down a failed path,' Landry said. 'And I wanted to tell you something. This is a pattern. 

'The guy that wrote [Kelly's] contract cost Texas A&M $70-something million. We have a $53 million liability. 

'I believe that we are going to find a great coach - maybe we'll let President Trump pick it, he loves winners. You know, I'm not going to be picking the next coach, but I can promise you we're gonna pick a coach and we're gonna make sure that that coach is successful.

'We're gonna make sure that he's compensated properly, and we're gonna put metrics on it because I'm tired of rewarding failure in this country and then leaving the taxpayers to foot the bill.

'The board of supervisors are going to come up with a committee and they're going to find us a coach.'

Kelly's sudden firing came after a lopsided defeat to, ironically, Texas A&M. The day following that loss, according to multiple reports, Woodward and Kelly sat down for a meeting where the two clashed over personnel choices.

Woodward wanted Kelly to fire offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. In response, Kelly said that he would make that decision if he was also allowed to fire other members of the staff - including offensive line coach Brad Davis.

Woodward was not comfortable with those additional moves, leading to a tense escalation of the situation that resulted in Kelly's firing and the coach storming out.

It's the sudden end to a tenure that never truly matched the expectations of the job. It also means that Kelly is the first LSU head coach in the 21st century to not win a national title.

After being ranked as high as No. 3 in the country earlier this year, the Tigers have only managed two wins in conference play.

The job opening is set to be the most high-profile availability in what is already expected to be a tumultuous hiring window in college football.

In addition to LSU, the jobs at Penn State, Florida and Arkansas are currently vacant. It's also possible that, as the coaching carousel turns, vacancies could open up at Ole Miss and Nebraska among other schools.