Kim Mulkey has never flinched at the word “change.” Not when she walked away from Baylor after 21 seasons and three national titles. Not when the college basketball world shifted under the weight of NIL. Not even when she lost two of her best post players in back-to-back years. But this time, something was different. Something cut deep enough to keep the iron-willed Mulkey away from the cameras and out of the media room entirely.

It was the firing of LSU athletic director Scott Woodward. Mulkey was in the middle of her team’s exhibition game against Langston when LSU suddenly dropped the bomb that Woodward was out after six years, effective immediately. And for anyone who’s watched the head coach even once, what came next said it all. She barely moved from the bench, a rare sight. Mulkey skipped the post-game presser, too, letting associate head coach Bob Starkey handle things. And when Starkey called her “heartbroken,” well, it made perfect sense.

After all, Woodward was the guy who brought her home. Among his biggest moves during his run as athletic director was hiring Mulkey in 2021. Two years later, he locked her in with a 10-year, $32 million deal, making her the highest-paid women’s basketball coach in the country.

But while he hired Mulkey and helped spark LSU women basketball’s incredible turnaround, Woodward’s other hiring decisions might be the reason behind his firing, too. Because it came not long after some pretty blunt remarks from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. For context, he was referring to LSU football’s rough patch under head coach Brian Kelly. Woodward hired Kelly back in 2021 and now, with Kelly’s firing just a few days back, LSU owes him around $54 million, the second-largest buyout in college football history.

“I can tell you right now Scott Woodward is not selecting our next coach,” Landry said during a news conference earlier this week. “Maybe we’ll let President Trump pick it. He loves winners. 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.”

Landry then also mentioned Woodward’s past hire, Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M, whose buyout was a whopping $77 million.

“We are not going down a failed path. And I want to tell you something: This is a pattern,” the Louisiana governor further said. “The guy that’s here now that wrote that contract cost Texas A&M 70-some million dollars. Right now, we’ve got a $53 million liability. We are not doing that again. And you know what? I believe that we’re gonna find a great coach.”

Sure, those aren’t massive hits. But, again… you can’t ignore the fact that Woodward is the man who also brought in Mulkey and also baseball coach Jay Johnson, both of whom went on to deliver national championships. So yes, not all his calls aged badly. And for someone as fiery and loyal as Mulkey, though, this wasn’t just a simple “administrative change.” It was personal. Years of trust, loyalty, and shared success. Even Starkey vouched for Woodward, saying he’s worked with two phenomenal athletic directors, and Woodward was one of them.

Well, amid the heartbreak off-court, at least Mulkey’s on-court prospects didn’t let her down…

Kim Mulkey’s Tigers close preseason with dominant win

The Tigers wrapped up their preseason in commanding fashion, crushing Langston 121-41, just days after a 148-46 rout over Division II Mississippi College.

And if you were worried about their defense this season, that’s exactly what they showed up with. LSU locked Langston down, holding them to just 15-of-44 shooting (34.1%) from the field and 4-of-20 (20.0%) from deep. The Tigers didn’t allow more than 15 points in any quarter, while forcing 36 turnovers. 

Offensively, they were just as ruthless. LSU had six of its players hitting double digits. Leading the way was senior forward Amiya Joyner, who went a perfect 9-of-9 from the field for 24 points, while also grabbing 11 rebounds. The Tigers dominated the paint with 72 points, added 23 second-chance buckets, and poured in 73 bench points while shooting 58.7% from the floor and 35.7% from three. Oh, and they snatched 50 rebounds for good measure.

Now, it’s go time. The real show begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. when LSU hosts Houston Christian in their season opener on SEC Network+.