The Million Dollars Match by Brian Kelly leads to a historical amount raised for LSU football – Sports Illustrated

LSU chief coach Brian Kelly reads about the new landscape of the College of Football and the need to use external resources to build the best recruitment class.

The days of relationships that are won for the best prospects have long gone with programs that need financial support to compensate players adequately.

On the National Signation Day in December, Kelly dived into the ability of the LSU program to adapt to the new normality of name, image and likeness.

“I will be rejected, if I do not say that, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, this is a new landscape we are in the recruitment,” Brian Kelly said at a press conference on the early National Signing Day in December. “New” when I say it’s not just about finding the right academic.

“It’s not just about finding the right fit where you can develop thoroughly and finish and play for a championship. It’s about [what’s] The most money I can get and it’s a pity. But this is the world we live in and you must be able to adapt and you must be able to adjust and be prepared. “

After Kelly’s remarks, he “put his money where his mouth was” after promoting the Match of a million dollars in Baton Rouge.

“LSU has a long and proud tradition of being one of the elite programs at the College of Football,” Kelly said. “In order to remain among the elite of the nation in this new world of athletics in college, we must be competitive in all areas of our program. I am committed to doing my best to win championships in LSU.

“Although we are not allowed to financially support our efforts on NIL, Paki and I can certainly compare the generosity of this huge fanbase by investing in the future of the LSU Athletics through the Tiger Athletic Foundation.

Kelly and his wife Paki committed themselves to matching the public support for name, image and likeness with a gift of to $ 1 million for LSU athletics.

For every dollar, NIL public support through the Bayou Tradications football fund, Kelly donated up to $ 1 million to the Tiger Athletic Foundation Fund for excellent achievements.

On Thursday, the amount raised on the dollar was revealed to the public, with the LSU team raised $ 3.2 million for a two -month period.

This is not the first time the Kelly family has invested in the future of LSU Athletics.

They also made $ 1 million in 2022 to support the construction of the new and improved athletic training room and a recovery package at the LSU football operation facility. These improvements officially discovered in August before the 2024 season.

Both gifts of $ 1 million from the Kelly family are the largest of a sitting chief coach in university history.

We have now seen that the LSU program is dominated by the NCAA transfer portal, with Tigers falling into the portal # 1 in America, along with the top-10 2025 signing class.

LSU adds commitments from seven top-100 transfers to the portal

LSU Dishes Out offers # 1 Apostate in America

Nick Saban calls LSU defender Garrett Nussmeier “Sleeper” before the season 2024

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