Brian Kelly shares reaction to his $1 million NIL match for LSU

Brian Kelly put his money where his mouth is, and so far the LSU head football coach’s million dollar match is already paying major dividends for the Tigers’ NIL efforts.

Two weeks ago, Kelly and his wife, Paqui, announced a plan to match up to $1 million in NIL donations with a gift to the program’s foundation, the Tiger Athletic Foundation’s ADs Excellence Fund.

The pledge, called the “Kelly Family Million Dollar Match Fund” was part of a concerted effort by Kelly and the LSU administration to encourage regular, everyday LSU fans to donate to the school’s NIL collective, Bayou Traditions.

And, while Kelly’s pledge is good for all donations collected between Dec. 13, 2024 and Feb. 5, 2025, the initial support has been more than encouraging.

“The response has been what we were hoping for,” Kelly said during a press conference Saturday. “I think from a fan perspective — and when I say fan, I mean our grassroots support, not our huge donors, (though) our donors have stepped up as well. But our fans, those that come see the games, those that follow LSU football, whether it’s been $5, $50 or $500, we’re seeing those kinds of contributions that we hadn’t seen in the past.”

While LSU has yet to release any numbers, Kelly believes the early returns have been promising, and have allowed the Tigers to once again be competitive in college football’s cutthroat NIL marketplace.

“It’s put us in a position where we can be aggressive on anybody that comes into the portal. And that simply wasn’t the case before,” Kelly continued. “So, I’m not saying this particular match did that, but I think it really sent 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 started with me, and I think our fanbase responded equally.”

The Tigers have been active in the transfer portal already this offseason, currently ranking sixth in On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings.

Following a commitment from Texas defensive line transfer Sydir Mitchell on Friday, LSU has now reached double-digit portal additions so far in this transfer cycle with all of the commitments and signings coming within the last week. Mitchell makes 11 in total along with tight end Bauer Sharp (Oklahoma), cornerbacks Ja’Keem Jackson (Florida) and Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech), defensive ends Jack Pyburn (Florida) and Jimari Butler (Nebraska), quarterback Michael Van Buren (Mississippi State), punter Grant Chadwick (MTSU), and three wide receivers in Barion Brown (Kentucky), Destyn Hill (Florida State), and Nic Anderson (Oklahoma). Eight of those rank in the Top-200 currently for On3.

Brian Kelly on NIL in recruiting: ‘It’s about the most money I can get’

Speaking on National Signing Day a week ago, Brian Kelly assessed the state of the college football landscape. LSU currently holds the No. 7-ranked class in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. The headliner of the group is Five Star Plus+ cornerback DJ Pickett – the No. 10 overall player from the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

But the Tigers saw some notable flips ahead of the early signing period, notably top-ranked quarterback Bryce Underwood. He ultimately signed with Michigan and is preparing to receive a lucrative NIL package.

During his press conference, Kelly broke down how recruiting has changed. He also mentioned the need to adapt to the changes as NIL takes on a more prominent role in recruiting.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t say that, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, this is a new landscape that we are in in recruiting,” Kelly said. “‘New,’ when I say it’s not just about finding the right fit academically.

“It’s not just about finding the right fit where you can develop holistically and graduate and play for a championship. It’s about [what’s] the most money I can get, and that’s unfortunate. But it’s the world we live in, and you have to be able to adapt, and you have to be able to realign and be prepared.”

Sam Gillenwater and Nick Schultz contributed to this report.