USC Football: Assistant AD Austin Thomas to Return to LSU

Austin Thomas, USC assistant athletic director and director of player personnel and NFL research, is on his way back to LSU after just three months in Los Angeles.

Three months ago USC pulled off a coup, bringing LSU director of player personnel Austin Thomas back into the fold. Now, the Tigers have done it right back.

Thomas, who held the title of Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Player Personnel at USC, was officially announced in the same role for LSU Monday.

“We are excited to have Austin back on the staff,” LSU head coach Les Miles said. “We hated to see him leave so we were thrilled when we were able to get him back. Austin is extremely talented and detail-oriented and he’s played a big role in our recruiting success over the last three years.”

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The Tennessee native had originally arrived at USC in 2010, following Lane Kiffin from the Volunteers to the Trojans. He remained in Los Angeles, rising through the ranks until 2012 when he took a job as director of recruiting and player personnel at Bowling Green. From there he was hired by LSU in 2013.

At LSU, Thomas became one of the hottest names in recruiting and player management. He was named FootballScoop.com’s 2015 Player Personnel Director of the Year for his work in helping put together LSU’s highly-ranked recruiting class.

So when USC swooped in to nab him in February, it was considered a major victory for the Trojans.

Since then, however, USC named Lynn Swann athletic director and the Tigers offered Thomas a lateral move to an athletic department he was already familiar with.

That leaves the Trojans with a hole to fill in the athletic department, though Swann will have the chance to make his own appointment.