Wade Rousse spent his first full day as LSU president making decisions. One of them created confusion for college football fans, he addressed Verge Ausberry’s status with the athletic department, and his choice of words left fans scratching their heads about what comes next for the Tigers.
Rousse removed the interim tag from Ausberry but then called him the “acting” athletic director. Most people understand interim and acting to mean roughly the same thing in administrative roles.
Rousse’s clarification during a radio interview in New Orleans only added more questions to an already complicated situation in Baton Rouge, according to Ross Dellenger’s report on X.
Does he know interim and acting mean the same thing in this context? https://t.co/7Ib43mhsP3
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) November 5, 2025
Ausberry took the interim role last Thursday after Scott Woodward and LSU agreed to part ways. Woodward’s departure came days after Brian Kelly was fired following a home loss to Texas A&M that dropped the Tigers to 5-3.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry had publicly criticized Woodward over Kelly’s contract and made it clear he would not allow Woodward to lead the search for Kelly’s replacement.
The 58-year-old Ausberry started as a compliance intern in 1991 and worked his way through various departments. He served in academics, fundraising, marketing, and sports administration over his career at LSU.
Before his interim promotion, he held the role of executive deputy athletic director since 2019. He also played linebacker for the Tigers in the late 1980s and was part of two SEC championship teams too.
Reports surfaced Tuesday that Rousse planned to make Ausberry the permanent athletic director. Multiple outlets confirmed the news. Then the message became muddled when Rousse spoke to reporters and radio hosts. He told Piper Hutchinson of the Louisiana Illuminator that he would remove the interim title but then assess the situation.
Rousse said he couldn’t make a good decision after being on the job for just eight hours. Later, during the New Orleans radio appearance, he used the term “acting AD” while emphasizing that Ausberry has full authority to find the next football coach:
“I removed the interim tag. He’s the acting AD. He has my full authority to go find us a coach for the best job in America.”
Rousse’s Comments Spark Debate About Ausberry’s Future at LSU
The terminology matters more than it might seem. To fans, an acting athletic director creates the same uncertainty as an interim one. Neither title suggests permanence or long-term commitment from the university.
Some fan pointed out the apparent similarity between interim and acting, while others questioned whether donor pressure influenced the word choice.
Mike Lewis wrote on X, “It looks clumsy b/c most likely a big donor or more told Wade to hit the brakes on giving the AD job to Verge just yet. If they are putting up the $, then let’s see how ‘ol Verge handles the process of signing the next coach. So, Wade had to humble himself & walk it back.”
Another user posted, “The butts in the seats change, but the LSU Clown Show continues. Good job, Wade Rousse.”
Glenn Guilbeau wrote, “This guy is off to a Clueless start. An ‘acting athletic director’ is the same as an interim athletic director, Mr. Rousse. As Alex once told her little brother Luke in ‘Modern Family,’ … ‘JUST STOP TALKING!'”
Nathan Lawless added, “‘Acting AD’ isn’t the same thing as saying ‘our AD’. Way to start your term there Wade Rousse by elevating a lifetime LSU guy who everyone supports, and then pulling it back within 24 hours. WTF is wrong with the folks in power in Cajun country?!?!”
Gabe Wiseman didn’t criticized the move: “Good. Thats all that matters. Idk why anyone gives a shit about if he knows what interim means or not. Verge is getting us the new coach. That’s what’s important and the only thing that matters.”
The confusion around his title and future with the university complicates what should have been a straightforward administrative move. Whether acting or permanent, Ausberry faces the same task ahead.
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