ESPN analyst Ryan Clark hits out at Jeff Landry over LSU Charlie Kirk statue debate

Ryan Clark, former NFL star and current ESPN analyst, wasted no time on Wednesday, October 30, 2025, in calling out Jeff Landry, governor of Louisiana, over two moves the governor made involving LSU Tigers athletics.

First, Landry declared that athletic director Scott Woodward would not choose the next LSU football coach and that the governor would rather let Donald Trump pick the hire himself. Then, Jeff Landry publicly backed a plan to erect a statue on the LSU campus of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a move Clark labelled “ridiculous” and “the first dumb thing he said this week.” Clark, a Louisiana native and former LSU and NFL player, spoke on “First Take” about both issues, making clear he believes the governor has overstepped his role.

Ryan Clark blasts Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry over Charlie Kirk statue plan at LSU

During the Wednesday edition of First Take, Clark turned his focus first on Landry’s statue proposal for Charlie Kirk at LSU’s campus. He argued that Kirk “doesn’t represent the people of Louisiana, doesn’t represent the players and the students at LSU, doesn’t represent the executives that work there.” Ryan Clark labelled that statement, the statue idea as “the first dumb thing he said this week,” adding that Landry’s second mistake was trying to block Scott Woodward from picking the next football coach.

Jeff Landry’s suggestion came during an event at LSU, where he said he would “put a challenge out to the LSU Board of Supervisors to find a place to put a statue of Charlie Kirk to defend freedom of speech on college campuses.” Ryan Clark said the plan felt like a political stunt rather than a meaningful tribute. “This is another situation of politicians poking their nose into things that they don’t know about,” Clark said.

Ryan Clark on the coaching-search controversy at LSU

Beyond the statue idea, Clark addressed the football side. He referenced Landry’s comments that Scott Woodward would not pick the next head coach for LSU, which came after the Tigers fired Brian Kelly following their poor start to the 2025 season. Ryan Clark defended Woodward, noting the athletic director had overseen hires of coaches like Kim Mulkey (women’s basketball) and Jay Johnson (baseball), both national-championship winners. In his view, the governor’s mic-grab was less about football and more about public attention. “You don’t know nothing about football,” Clark said. Also Read: Andrew Tate Becomes New Misfits Boxing CEO After Old KSI Tweet Leads To Explosive Company Takeover“There’s enough going on in the state of Louisiana that needs to be fixed for its constituents. I don’t need you tweeting on Saturday night about what’s going on at Tiger Stadium.” He also made clear his emotional connection: being an LSU alum and a Louisiana native, the issue is personal. Clark said: “Scott Woodward deserves to pick the next head coach and the governor should stay out of it.”