Jul 12, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former NFL player Ryan Clark arrives on the red carpet before the 2023 ESPYS at the Dolby Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Ryan Clark Believes LSU Football Must Hire This Head Coach Amid Brian Kelly Firing

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 2:46 PM ET

The LSU Tigers remain the talk of the town with the program navigating a significant stretch in Baton Rouge after parting ways with head coach Brian Kelly last Sunday.

It's a new era in the Bayou State with LSU pressing the reset button after firing Kelly and relieving athletic director Scott Woodward of his duties on Thursday night.

Now, it's interim athletic director Verge Ausberry calling the shots with the program looking to find stability in the coming months with multiple roles to fill.

"This place is not broken; the athletic department is not broken. We win. 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," Ausberry said.

"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."

Now, LSU alumni have begun chiming in on what's next in Baton Rouge with ESPN's Booger McFarland weighing in on the trajectory of the program this week while on air.

“See, when you coach in the South, it’s about fit. You have to be able to look your players in the eyes and relate to the players," McFarland said.

"I want somebody that’s going to be in the locker room with me, not somebody that calls down from the fifth floor to the locker room, if you follow. And I think when you’re in the Southeastern Conference, that’s the way it has to be.”

Fast forward to Saturday and former LSU defensive back, and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, believes the Tigers need to go after Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin.

"Keep Verge [Ausberry] as AD and go get Lane Kiffin!!," Clark wrote via X.

Keep Verge as AD, and go get Lane Kiffin!!

Rise from the ashes Tigers!! #GeauxTigers
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) November 1, 2025

The LSU Tigers will conduct a national search as the program in Baton Rouge looks to start fresh after a difficult stretch with Kelly at the helm.

"We're going to hire the best football coach there is," Ausberry said on Friday. "That's our job. We are not going to let this program fail. LSU has to be in the playoffs every year in football. There's 12 teams that make it.

"It's going to expand here. We have to be one of those teams at LSU. No substitute."

This article first appeared on LSU Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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