LSU Competing with Alabama and Texas A&M with NIL Deals and Recruits

With NIL deals becoming more prominent in college game, Tigers must adjust to what a number of SEC rivals are doing

Recruiting is operated differently for many prospects now. With Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for individual recruits across the United States, top college football programs are either adapting or being left behind.

Top prospects want the opportunity to earn big money prior to ever heading off to the NFL. For LSU, two of its top competitors have already done a tremendous job with utilizing NIL deals for top prospects.

Alabama and Texas A&M, the top two 2022 recruiting classes in the country belong to those SEC West institutions. They both utilized NIL deals to help bring in those top recruiting classes.

Just reading about Alabama quarterback Bryce Young making enough money to support himself and his family before taking a snap as the Crimson Tide starter, that’s going to help. So let us start there.

Deals with Cash App and Logan's RoadHouse, as well as trading card companies like

Onyx, Wild Card, and Leaf were pushing Young towards seven figures before fall camp ever began.

Make no mistake, Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban will use those big figures as a way to lure extra talent to Tuscaloosa, Ala. Here are a few of the other Alabama football players and the deals they struck with various companies.

Safety Malachi Moore - Milo’s, Cameo, My Gameday Shop, and PSD Underwear.

Offensive Lineman Javion Coheh - My Gameday Shop, JenLoop, and Alabama Vintage.

Wide receiver Agiye Hall - PSD Underwear.

Wide receiver Treshon Holden - Yoke gaming.

It’s important to note that Hall and Holden earned deals before ever catching a pass for Alabama. That’s incredible marketing. Again, something that Alabama is going to take advantage of on the recruiting trail. LSU’s competitor to the West is also doing a tremendous job.

Much like Alabama, the Texas A&M Football program absolutely bought into the NIL initiative. It’s paid dividends. Much like Alabama as well, incoming players were earning before ever stepping foot on the gridiron.

2021 defensive line recruit Shemar Turner cut a deal with Cameo. It’s the same company that several Alabama players made a deal with. It’s a video messaging platform where celebrities can make cash off sending messages to fans.

In the class of 2022, Texas A&M has probably the best class overall in a large part due to NIL deals. Anyone that reads through the long list of details for what Texas A&M calls AMPLIFY will quickly see that there are a plethora of ways to not only sign with a company for NIL purposes, but also see that people within Texas A&M will help athletes be prepared to represent themselves.

In a nutshell, there are a multitude of ways that an Aggies athlete (for every sport) can be taught how to maximize financial strong suits via social media, how to build a digital brand, and how to create custom content on their social media pages. Not to mention, networking and financial workshops, two strong traditional skills that were included within AMPLIFY as well. 

So, what must LSU do? There’s obviously a war to one-up the competition. LSU has not been left out in the cold, and it’s done some of its own NIL initiatives, but the coaching change and timing of it crushed the effectiveness for much of the 2022 recruiting class. As for 2023, LSU needs to make its mark.

Local businessmen are already working on NIL deals for LSU players but there needs to be more of a dedication to those opportunities for the athletes according to one local business leader. 

"I do think that there's an arms race going on," attorney Gordon McKernan said on After Further Review. "Just like the football facilities and things that you have to build to compete, you better be building an NIL program — 'you' being the community, the businesses around it — to help your athletes at your university that you support. That's what has to be happening."

Perhaps a consortium of what Alabama and Texas A&M have done, but with the Tigers placing their own twist on the package. Hey, every institution is unique. Let’s see what LSU comes up with under the tutelage of Head Coach Brian Kelly and this off season.