In the NIL era, there are conversations about schools directly paying players and the role of NIL Collectives, but LSU head football coach Brian Kelly may be the first to suggest a radical new NIL concept. Kelly offered to personally match all NIL donations made to the Tiger Athletic Foundation’s Excellence Fund from Dec. 13 to Feb. 5, 2025, up to $1 million.
According to Sports Illustrated, it is “a move never before seen by a head coach.” It’s a plan that will also be difficult to pull off logistically as coaches are not allowed to “contribute directly to a school’s NIL efforts.”
Kelly released a statement that read, “LSU has a long and proud tradition of being one of the elite programs in college football. In order to remain among the nation’s elite in this new world of college athletics, we have to be competitive in all areas of our program. I am committed to doing all that we can to win championships at LSU. While we are not permitted to financially support our NIL efforts directly, Paqui and I can certainly match this tremendous fanbase’s generosity by investing in the future of LSU Athletics through the Tiger Athletic Foundation."
Kelly came to LSU in 2022 from Notre Dame. In his first year, he led the Tigers to the SEC Championships; however, the team could not repeat the early success this year. Kelly sees investing in NIL as one of the best methods for improving his team’s performance and attracting top talent.
And, Kelly’s current contributions are not the first time he’s invested in the football program at LSU. When he was first hired, he gave the school $1 million to upgrade the team facilities, including an athletic training room. According to a press release by LSU, “both $1 million gifts from Kelly family are the largest by a sitting head coach in university history.”
