LSU defensive lineman Maason Smith inks NIL partnership with Gordon McKernan's firm

Maason Smith has inked his first major NIL deal. Louisiana personal injury attorney Gordon McKernan has signed the LSU defensive lineman to a partnership.

The sophomore announced the news on Instagram.

“I’m grateful to be a part of Gordon McKernan’s team of athletes,” he wrote in the caption. “This is the year we get it done.”

Details of the agreement were not released. McKernan added four-star offensive lineman Emery Jones on Thursday to his list of “Get Gordon Athletes.” Jaquelin Roy also signed with on earlier this month.

Smith has the opportunity to be a breakout star on the LSU defensive line this fall. The Tigers have talent up front with Jaquelin Roy and Ali Gaye. Plus, defensive end BJ Ojulari is expected to be one of the SEC’s top pass rushers this fall.

But the former five-star recruit and top-ranked player out of Louisiana in the 2021 class could wreck havoc on defenses this season. Smith finished with five tackles for loss only nine games last year, which was enough to earn Freshman All-American honors.

“I’m over the moon to welcome a defensive strength like Maason to my outstanding lineup of Tigers Football players,” McKernan said in a press release. “His determination, ambition, and skill are out of this world.”

Maason Smith joins growing list of McKernan athletes

Gordon McKernan has quickly become one of the biggest NIL deal makers in the nation.

Yes, he hasn’t generated as much national attention as Miami mega-booster John Ruiz and LifeWallet. But McKernan and his firm, Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys, have struck major NIL deals with LSU stars like Kayshon Boutte, Jaquelin Roy, Malik Nabers and other impact Tiger players. Heck, he even did a deal last week with five-star linebacker signee Harold Perkins.

McKernan’s firm is not only focused on football.

He’s executed deals with LSU women’s basketball star Alexis Morris, top Tiger baseball players Cade Doughty and Tre Morgan, and NCAA track national champion Sean “Squirrel” Burrell. He’s also done deals with Louisiana Ragin Cajun players Dontae Fleming and Andre Jones.

When asked about his plans for further potential sponsorships, McKernan was clear: “I think there’s a lot of value for helping a student-athlete and at the same time helping our company, so we’re going to … do it across multiple sports,” he told WBRZ.

“We look forward to helping the LSU community in the long-term, generating goodwill both for these athletes and for the Gordon McKernan firm.”

McKernan also told Sports Illustrated the price tag for elite players is often at least $100,000 in NIL salary. McKernan said he will pay $500,000 in NIL deals this year.

Maason Smith building on NIL potential

The LSU defensive lineman currently holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $52,000. He’s seen a growth of 75 percent in the past 14 weeks, and that should keep rising. If Smith can piece together a strong fall campaign, he’ll have plenty of NIL opportunities come next year.

His social media following could take off, too. With 26,000 social media followers, he holds a per post value of $512.

The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The On3 NIL Valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.