LSU Dives Head First Into Bold New NIL Strategy to Bolster Program

LSU basketball retains coach Matt McMahon with a new focus on NIL resources as one of the lowest spenders in the SEC.

Maddy Hudak | Feb 17, 2025

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LSU Tigers

Despite a disappointing start for the LSU Tigers men’s basketball team in their third season under Matt McMahon, the school is bolstering their support of the head coach.

The Tigers are following the example of many other college basketball and football programs by prioritizing increased NIL resources for the basketball team rather than escalating speculation about a potential hot seat.

Shea Dixon of On3 that LSU is expected to retain McMahon following the end of an underwhelming season in which they currently sit at 13-12 overall and 2-10 in the SEC.

When he was hired in 2022, the program was under NCAA investigation after firing former head coach Will Wade. This situation persisted as McMahon grappled with the absence of a scholarship player on the roster due to the NBA draft, the transfer portal and players nearing the end of their eligibility.

Their 14-19 finish mirrored expectations, and there was momentum following an improved 17-16 overall record and 9-9 in SEC play in Year 2.

A recent victory over the Oklahoma Sooners kept McMahon’s squad above .500 this season, but the trajectory isn’t going as expected through his third year in charge.

That may have more to do with NIL money than coaching prowess.

McMahon boasted a strong resume prior to LSU with only one losing season out of seven as head coach of the Murray State Racers. He joined the Tigers after leading the Racers to a 31-3 finish, maintaining a perfect 18-0 record in conference play and securing the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Sources tell On3 that LSU basketball’s NIL budget was short of a mere $2 million, which ranked 13th out of 14 SEC programs coming into the year, which was before Texas and Oklahoma were added. The Tigers sit at the bottom of the conference alongside the South Carolina Gamecocks — the one team that spends less than them.

The ominous trend continues into the bottom three SEC teams as the Sooners operate with an NIL budget of $2-3 million.

In a landmark SEC season in which LSU is the only team in the conference without an AP Top 25 win, their issues magnify.

The NIL correlation is arguably causation, as the low-spending Gamecocks and Tigers are the only two teams with less than two ranked wins.

Moreover, the top 25-ranked Ole Miss Rebels and Mississippi State Bulldogs have NIL budgets reportedly over $5 million. The Missouri Tigers invested in NIL following a winless SEC record last year and flipped that to 8-4 with a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

McMahon recently brought in top recruiter David Patrick and signed three Top 100 high school recruits in back-to-back recruiting cycles. He’ll need more NIL resources to keep up on the trail and land talent in the transfer portal.

If the results of SEC play this year illustrate anything, it’s that NIL is king of college basketball — at least in the conference.

McMahon has the backing of the LSU administration, which understands the necessity of NIL funds and is building a solid foundation for the program to compete with the proper resources in the SEC.

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