Report: LSU Hires AD Scott Woodward From Texas A&M After Joe Alleva Steps Down

Alleva has been with the Tigers since 2008.

LSU athletic director Joe Alleva has stepped down from his role and will transition to special assistant to the president for donor relations, the school announced Wednesday.

Alleva's contract was set to expire on June 30, 2020. He will be replaced by Texas A&M's Scott Woodward, who LSU announced as its 10th Athletics Director on Thursday.

.@LSU is excited to announce its 10th Athletics Director, Scott Woodward. #LSU https://t.co/RlLjJCgH1Y pic.twitter.com/3T3DmbfcvJ

— LSU Tigers (@LSUsports) April 18, 2019

The news was first reported by the Baton Rouge Business Report. 

Alleva has served as LSU's athletic director since July 2008 but has faced several tough situations in recent years. The Tigers' basketball program was roped into the FBI's ongoing investigation into corruption in the sport this year after a Yahoo! Sports story reported that head coach Will Wade was caught on wiretap discussing a recruiting deal with former Adidas consultant Christian Dawkins in 2017.

LSU reinstated Wade after he met with university and NCAA officials Friday, the school announced Sunday. Wade was suspended indefinitely on March 8 after he declined to speak with school officials as part of their investigation into the wiretapped phone conversation. The suspension sparked much criticism of Alleva and the administration among Tigers' fans.

Alleva said Wade "answered all questions and denied any wrongdoing in connection with recently reported allegations of irregularities in college basketball recruiting." Alleva added, "Wade's explanations and clarifications offered during the meeting, absent actual evidence of misconduct, satisfy his contractual obligation to LSU."

Alleva also faced criticism surrounding the way he handled Les Miles's firing as head football coach in 2016 and his search for a replacement. Ed Orgeron, who served as the team's interim head coach for most of the 2016 season, was eventually promoted to full-time head coach.

The 65-year-old athletic director came to LSU after spending time at Duke.