Brian Kelly's NIL Push: LSU Football Benefitting From Strategic Financial Plan

Kelly and Co. continue their public push for support in Baton Rouge, seeing immediate change in their approach.

Nov 16, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly walks onto the field before a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers are red hot on the recruiting trail after landing 13 commitments via the NCAA Transfer Portal over the first two weeks of the window.

The Tigers' shot-caller put his money where his mouth is after announcing the “Kelly Family Million Dollar Match Fund” where Kelly and his wife plan to match up to $1 million in NIL donations with a gift to the program’s Tiger Athletic Foundation’s ADs Excellence Fund.

Kelly’s pledge is valid for all donations brought in between Dec. 13, 2024 and Feb. 5, 2025, but the initial response has been a dominant win for the program.

The donors, fanbase and more have spoken highly of what is being built in Baton Rouge and it's been led by Kelly being vocal about what is needed to be successful in the new landscape of college football.

The Response to Kelly's Challenge:

“The response been what we were hoping for,” Kelly said on Saturday. “From a fan perspective, and when I say 'fan' I mean from a grassroots support, not our huge donors. Our donors have stepped up as well, but our fans, the ones that come to see the games, those that follow LSU football. Whether it’s been five dollars, 50 dollars, or 500 dollars, we’ve seen those contributions we hadn’t seen in the past.

"It’s put us in a position where we can be aggressive on anyone that comes into the portal and that simply was not the case before."

“I’m not saying this particular match did that, but it did really send a message to everybody that this is where we are today and if we want to be where we all want to be in terms of putting our roster together, we all have to step up. It starts with me and I think our fanbase responded equally.”

Utilizing NIL Funds to Grow the Roster:

“[The NCAA Transfer Portal] is being measured in terms of what you’re trying to do in terms of where you are as a program," Kelly said. "We needed time to develop young players in our program. They needed an opportunity before we went and brought in a number of veteran players. We needed to do a little bit of work to compete in the SEC, which we did, but now it’s time to roster build. We have a strong young nucleus in our program, but now it’s time to add to that. Those that have moved on, we wish them the best, and now we feel like we’ve put ourselves in a position where we can put together an SEC Championship roster.”

The LSU Tigers have been dominant in the NCAA Transfer Portal after adding 13 critical pieces to the future of the program.

The Additions on Offense (6):
- TE Bauer Sharp: Oklahoma
- WR Barion Brown: Kentucky
- QB Michael Van Buren: Mississippi State
- WR Destyn Hill: Florida State
- WR Nic Anderson: Oklahoma
- OL Braelin Moore: Virginia Tech

The Additions on Defense (6):
- CB Ja'Keem Jackson: Florida
- EDGE Jimari Butler: Nebraska
- EDGE Jack Pyburn: Florida
- CB Mansoor Delane: Virginia Tech
- DL Sydir Mitchell: Texas
- EDGE Patrick Payton: Florida State

The Special Teams Additions (1):
Punter Grant Chadwick: Middle Tennessee

More LSU News:

The LSU Transfer Portal Update: Who's in? Who's out?

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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