Brian Kelly weighs in on how LSU fans can balance donating to NIL fund, booster club

Brian Kelly and LSU are continuing to adapt alongside the ever-changing NIL landscape. One way the Tigers have done so was through the partnering of the Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF) and their NIL collective Bayou Traditions.

The school announced the launch of a new subsidiary, TAF Services Corporation (TAFSC), in July that will allow donors to receive priority points through TAF. Booster will also be able to log into their Tiger Athletic Foundation/LSU ticket account and contribute directly to Bayou Traditions.

Kelly spoke about what he believes the partnership will do to boost LSU’s NIL brand while also finding a way to give back to key donors.

“As I understand it, you’ll get points from donating to the NIL through TAF,” he said. “I think there is a way to kind of funnel both of those together now. I think that’s what this is all starting to begin to look like. …If you give to the NIL at LSU, you get points to get upgrades on your seats and a tax deduction, which we don’t have right now, but I think that’s coming.

“I think it’s just natural in its progression of everything that we’ve seen from revenue sharing in 2025 that that’s kind of the next iteration. So although that might be the case right now, I think we’re starting to move closer towards if you do make a donation, you’re gonna be able to see that through TAF go to an NIL.”

LSU kicked off the agreement by announcing the Give 100 campaign to commemorate 100 seasons of Tiger Stadium. Donors received four priority points per $1,000 given to Team TAF, which they can then trade out for tickets or upgraded parking. Give 100 will also directly impact NIL opportunities for LSU football athletes.

The Tigers are not the first school to implement priority points. Collectives at Texas and Texas A&M moved to allow boosters to earn priority points for donations in June of 2023 but have since walked back those measures.

Boosters receiving priority points in exchange for dollars is one way for collectives to combat donor fatigue. The top-spending NIL collectives have annual budgets of more than $15 million.

LSU’s decision to keep its NIL collection separate while still providing support comes after the House v. NCAA settlement that is expected to provide an avenue for revenue-sharing between schools and players. The priority points incentive will hopefully lead to increased donations to give the school more funds to work with.

Either way, it’s clear the Tigers are prepared for the future from an NIL standpoint, and hopefully that will lead to results on the field as well.