It’s about time Brian Kelly learns the importance of the NIL system. When you look at LSU’s schedule for the 2024 season and see how they ended the year with an 8-4 run, you feel bad. Yeah, they won 8 games, but those 4 losses could’ve been avoided. Indeed, winning against Bama was not possible, and we get that, but losing to a Gators team that is barely hanging on and is in the play because of their backup QB is wild. Then again, all was not lost. You see, Brian Kelly had one of the best quarterbacks of the 2025 class committed to LSU. Big deal, right? Yeah, then came Michigan with a pocket full of NIL money (around $10.5 million) and snatched Bryce Underwood away.

Kelly and LSU have to step up the money game and it looks like the LSU HC’s wife, Paqui Kelly, is going to help him out regarding it. Back during the pre-Bowl game press conference, Kelly pointed out how he and his wife were building towards a $1 million NIL addition. “If they (LSU fanbase) wanted to continue to have a championship program, they needed to understand that there is a financial responsibility as well… So my wife and I are going to match up to a million dollars,” Kelly pointed out. The Kelly Family will be matching up to $1 million to the donations given to the LSU NIL effort. If you aren’t familiar with this movement, it’s known as the Million Dollar Match Challenge.

See, compared to the top SEC teams like Bama, Georgia, or even Vols, LSU NIL funds are low. Vols have around $11.6 million annually, followed by a $12 million estimate for Bama and Georgia. LSU has $8 million. That $4-5 million difference amounts to a big deal.

The Wolverines have a fund of around $16.3 million. It ain’t no wonder why they were able to take Underwood away. With the new $9 million fund, Kelly can finally focus on grabbing some good players from the portal.

Not only that. This extension will also help them grab a very important transfer portal player. Right now, the biggest problem Kelly has with his roster is the wide receiver room. They had Derek Meadows before, but Bama managed to flip him away. So who’s next?

Fighting it off for Micah Hudson

See, Kelly has already lost to Mike Elko once. He cannot afford that again. That entire loss to the Aggies pretty much acted as the catalyst that pushed LSU’s season to spiral out. After that game, they lost back-to-back against Bama and then the Gators.

Now Elko wants what Kelly has his eyes on: WR Micah Hudson. Previously with the Red Raiders, Hudson left because he barely got any playtime in the offense. God knows what Texas Tech was thinking. They could’ve easily started Hudson out in all of their games, but nope.

Only 5 games, but he still managed to bring in 8 receptions and 123 yards. Right now, Kelly still has a chance of getting Hudson into the Tigers. “Texas A&M took control of that recruitment. But he’s maintaining dialogue with some other programs. LSU, one of them,” Steve Wiltfong had pointed out.

We just have to wait and watch how effectively Kelly manages to use that $9 million NIL money. Can he bring back the lost LSU glory?