Okay, so it’s obvious that Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers would still need some more time to get over the Bryce Underwood trauma. They still clearly remember how Sherrone Moore and the Michigan Wolverines snatched him away from Baton Rouge. Kelly needs to be extra cautious about the NIL landscape. Now, without Underwood, he might have to change his mindset and take back his words as an insider sounds an alarm for how Kelly’s seat is getting hotter. This calls for damage control, but how far can we expect Kelly to go with the $3.6 million fortune reserve?

According to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos, five-star quarterback signee Underwood was the highest-paid prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Now this was not at all surprising for a No.1 rated player. What was surprising was Moore dishing out over $10 million on the table to flip Underwood from Kelly’s squad. However, eventually, it became clear that billionaire Larry Ellison had a hand in helping the Wolverines land the five-star QB. But what made Kelly not pursue Underwood harder? His “won’t buy players” mindset. On the 247 Sports podcast, analyst John Tatly brushed up on the memory of Tigers’ fans. 

The analyst stated how they now have a huge fund by not landing Underwood. “It’s a finite amount of resources… How you choose to use that money would be important. So losing Underwood 8-10 million package… is a significant outlay of money. And by losing Bryce, I think they will be able to be more aggressive this transfer portal window, load up on talent across the board.” Tatly also stated how Kelly and Co. played in the backfoot in the last two cycles of the transfer portal. Do you remember Kelly’s complaint? 

“We’re not in the market of buying players and unfortunately right now, that’s what some guys are looking for.” But Kelly is now forced to take back his words. After all, every program in their Year two makes that big jump. So, the HC will now have to fight high expectations of “Why are we not doing that here?” In that case, winning 29 games in three seasons would not be enough to keep his HC boat afloat in Baton Rouge as the “pressure is cranking up.” Maybe Kelly learned the hard way and has taken the reins into his own hands as Tigers’ NIL sits at No.6 with a $3.6 million value.

How Brian Kelly is boosting up LSU’s NIL game

Now do you know that HC Kelly was willing to part with his own money if it means a boost to the school’s NIL efforts? Yes, he orchestrated a significant $137K NIL transfer portal investment. As Josh Newberg reported, “Class recruiting ranking at the high school level: No. 9. Transfer portal index ranking: No. 6. Now, LSU’s on-field performance last year was not up to the Tigers’ standard. That’s why Brian Kelly took action this offseason. The Tigers went out and added 16 new players.” However, there too he faced hurdles.

After all, going by the NCAA rules, head coaches do not have the right to contribute to the NIL collectives directly. Then came a eureka moment in Brian Kelly’s mind! As he had promised to match a donation of up to $1 million from fans towards the LSU NIL collective, he along with his wife, Paqui whipped up a master plan. He gifted the $1 million to the school’s Tiger Athletic Foundation’s AD’s Excellence Fund.

This would fall into place through the “Kelly Family Million Dollar Match Fund” and fans had the time between Dec. 13 to Feb. 5, 2025, to donate to the NIL collective. “In order to remain among the nation’s elite in this new world of college athletics, we have to be competitive in all areas of our program. I am committed to doing all that we can to win championships at LSU,” stated the HC. Fingers crossed Kelly’s recruiting hustle keeps LSU’s NIL troubles in check. After all, they can’t really afford another Bryce Underwood mishap.