How LSU stacks up against other schools for NIL Football program allocations

LSU's Bayou Traditions, its NIL collective, ranks among the top collectives in the country. Great news! However, a deeper dive uncovers some troubling facts. Although Bayou Traditions is among the best in terms of total donations and value, LSU ranks among the bottom in terms of the amount it allocates to the football program. I'm concluding that Bayou Traditions is not the problem, whoever's in charge of leading the fight for more allocation to the football program is the problem. I don't know if that's the head coach or a staff member inside the football program or if it's a staff member with Bayou Traditions. Maybe it's a combination, who knows? So keep up the donations but it may be time to start asking questions surrounding the management of the collective instead of about how big our donations are.






LSU's official NIL collective, Bayou Traditions, has significantly bolstered the university's athletic programs by facilitating Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities for student-athletes. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, LSU's collectives generated approximately $20 million in revenue, ranking third in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) behind Texas, which reported $22 million, and Tennessee which reported $25 million




Top NIL Allocations for Football Programs

Tennessee (Spyre Sports Group): $25 million annually.

Texas: $22 million annually.

LSU (Bayou Traditions): $20 million annually (all sports, with $8 million allocated to football).

Georgia and Alabama: $10–$12 million for football (estimated).


Where LSU Stands:

LSU’s Allocation: Approximately $8 million annually for football, which is below the SEC average of $10 million for top programs.

While LSU’s overall NIL ecosystem, through Bayou Traditions, generates significant funds ($20 million across all sports), a smaller portion seems directed specifically toward football compared to rivals.


Implications

LSU’s NIL efforts are competitive but may not match the financial firepower of programs like Tennessee, Ohio State, or Texas, particularly for football.

Recruiting Challenges: With NIL playing an increasingly vital role in recruiting, LSU may need to boost football-specific funding to maintain a competitive edge, especially in attracting elite high school and transfer talent.


Conclusion

While LSU is not at the bottom of the NIL landscape overall, its football-specific allocations are less competitive compared to SEC and national leaders, potentially placing the program at a disadvantage in the arms race of NIL-driven recruiting.



This is all sourced from ChatGPT, which sourced a ton of its responses from ON3, TigerRag, LSU Sports.net, etc..