Leaving aside Bryce Underwood’s billionaire splurge, LSU Booster reassures Tigers’ ability to spend in NIL era

The LSU Tigers, as well as every other program in college football, has entered an era where the amount of money a team can spend means a lot. With this money, one can lure the top recruits to the school by promising them a significant NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deal.

During the latest edition of the "After Further Review" podcast, LSU Tigers booster Gordon McKennan went on the show to discuss whether the Tigers will be able to competitively spend in the new "NIL era" of college football.

"I do think there is going to be some supplement from business owners and boosters to help out." (4:07)

This era is a complete contrast to the college football of old. Previously, the programs were all funded by donations from "boosters" and the university.

Any money that was given to the program was spent on improving the equipment and facilities. This would make the program an attractive destination for any potential recruits.

This model does still exist, but donations alone from those who support the team will not be enough in the new era if a team wants to be competitive.

All it now takes, as we saw with the recruitment of top quarterback Bryce Underwood to the Michigan Wolverines, is one person with a lot of money giving a program possible unfair advantage over others.

However, as McKennan said on the podcast, there is still a space for boosters in this era.

Top prospect to visit LSU this weekend

On the subject of the Tigers' future recruitment, they are having a visit this weekend from linebacker Emanuel Rufin.

Rufin is a four-star rated player and one of the top 20 defensive linemen prospects in the 2026 class. Speaking to On3 about his recruitment journey with the Tigers, he said:

"The conversations have been great from (LSU defensive line coach Kyle Williams). He tells me how I can make an impact on their defensive line.”

LSU is one of a number of programs that are in the hunt for Rufin, with Alabama and Ohio State also looking for him. If the Tigers do get him, he will be a welcome addition to their defense.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat