Remarks From New LSU President Wade Rousse & AD Verge Ausberry At Lane Kiffin's Presser

New LSU president Wade Rousse and athletic director Verge Ausberry spoke before Lane Kiffin's introductory press conference on Monday. Here's everything they had to say:

quote:

---

DR. WADE ROUSSE: What an exciting time. For the first time in my remarks I feel like I need to begin my remarks instead of ending my remarks with as we always say, Geaux Tigers.

It is an exciting time. I was looking for our guy there. It is an exciting time. We're so excited to be here. What a wonderful day for Louisiana and this LSU family.

Today, today our family is growing, and we could not be more excited to welcome Layla, Landry, Presley, Knox, and our football coach, Coach Kiffin. Welcome to this Tiger family.

Let me begin with a few words of deep gratitude for every member of LSU's athletic and executive staff who have dedicated long hours and time away from their families over the holiday weekend to make this moment a reality. Thank you so much for your time.

I also want to give a little special thank you to Board Chairman Scott Ballard, Athletics Committee Chair John Carmouche, and all of the members of the Board of Supervisors who have engaged, who have supported, and who have helped to ensure that we have all of the resources in place to restore a championship culture right here in Tiger Stadium.

While Coach is certainly the man of the hour, I would be remiss -- I would be remiss if I did not save my final message of appreciation to someone who has given decades of his life to this athletics department, to a leader who truly embodies what it means to be an LSU Tiger.

Just a few short weeks ago in my first meeting with our Athletic Director I talked a great deal about the need for structure, accountability, and measuring ourselves against only the best. Our Athletic Director responded by telling me he would be accountable for finding the best football coach in America.

Verge, you are a man of your word, and you have certainly delivered on that promise today.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a round of applause and welcome to this podium the architect of today's announcement, LSU's Athletic Director, Mr. Verge Ausberry.

---

quote:

---

VERGE AUSBERRY: What a great day to be a Tiger, a beautiful day. I want to thank President Rousse and our Board of Supervisors and our governor for the commitment to making sure we got the coach we needed.

I also want to thank Ms. Julie Cromer and the search committee for the long hours the past couple of weeks in making sure we got this done and done the right way for Louisiana.

Julie has been My All-Star. She in the room tonight? She's here? Julie likes to stay in the background, but she's very, very important to this process in helping us get Coach Kiffin here.

I can honestly tell you from the moment we determined that a coaching change would be necessary, the first name on everyone's lips was Lane Kiffin. There are a lot of great coaches out there, and we performed due diligence on several other candidates, but the name none of us could shake was Lane.

LSU football has a unique place in the history of the game, in the traditions of the SEC and the hearts of everyone with any connection to the state of Louisiana. Purple and gold have always represented something special. It represented Death Valley on a Saturday night. It represents some historic offenses and stifling defenses, as well as championships in excellence. That word "excellence" is LSU.

Our colors in the stadium tell anyone in the world that they are watching LSU. As a former player and an administrator here for the last nearly 30 years, I can tell you that when the band strikes up Hold That Tiger, there's no better place in the world to be.

So when we realized it was time to replace our head football coach, we knew we had to find someone who could get it, who would understand tradition, personality, culture, and who could contribute to both our history and to our future.

Immediately Lane Kiffin became our prime target. He was not only an offensive innovator, energizer, and winner, he is also a program builder, a brilliant recruiter, in the most competitive conference in America, and a big enough personality to operate in a state of big personalities.

In a program in a state that challenges some, we believe Lane wouldn't blink. We believed he could thrive. I'm not going to tell you the road for getting him here didn't have some unique challenges, but I will say those challenges came from the right reasons.

Lane was running a championship contending team. He loves his players, and he wanted to do the right thing for his family. I admire all of those reasons, and it made me want him more.

We believed that LSU is the place he may be willing to come. We believed it would be a perfect fit for someone like him. We told Lane that LSU was not just a place to come to win games. He has done that already. We told him it was a place to come to contend for national championships year in and year out.

We promised him the resources to recruit and develop the best players in the country. We promised him a student body and a fan base that demands success, and we promised him a state and a community that will welcome him and his family and that was eager to become, with his leadership, legendary.

If those sound like big promises, then you don't know how much I love and believe in LSU and Louisiana. We asked him to believe too. He showed us he was all in.

I could read you his résumé, but you probably already know it. I could tell you more about his personality, but you probably are familiar with that too. I could tell you he has the presence and energy to make everyone he works with feel a winning attitude, but I know you will find that out soon enough.

I can't wait to get down to work with Lane. Lane, the promise to get you here hasn't always been the most predictable, but I believe you will find it to be home you've been looking for. We want to welcome you and your family to LSU, to Baton Rouge, and the state of Louisiana. Geaux Tigers.

---