NIL 5.0: After All These Years, It’s Still Everyone Else vs. LSU

Five years. Half a decade. 

Can you believe it?

From a macro-level, it feels like yesterday. Launching in Times Square with Olivia Dunne, announcing to the world that NILSU was The Real Deal.

From a micro-level, though, it feels like it is: 1,825 days. From every event to every content shoot. From Sweats to Suits to The Money Game. From rev share to NILSU Max. The game has changed and so have we. Every single time.

Rules have changed. Laws have changed. Staffs have changed. It’s the only constant in a space that only knows one speed. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. LSU has remained at the forefront of it all, proving to the world what we already knew: nobody does NIL like us.

THE DISCUSSIONS STARTED early, even before July 1, 2021. What others saw in Times Square was really a culmination of work, planning, strategizing and months-long preparation, all so LSU could have the infrastructure in place to thrive in the NIL space from the jump. 

Because if the last five years are any indiction – from Nike deals, to Woodside patches, to social media trends and hype video scripts: we don’t react. We Just Do It.

“Taylor Jacobs built something really special here,” said Keava Soil-Cormier, Associate AD of NIL for LSU Athletics. “We invested in NIL early and we invested in it right. When others were waiting around and being skeptical, we leaned into it. LSU has always been a different kind of brand, and our fans and community are a huge part of that. It’s not something you can duplicate…and NILSU helps to amplify that.”

Jacobs, who spearheaded LSU’s NIL efforts for nearly five years, sat down with LSU’s senior staff, where they decided the investment into the new era of collegiate athletics could not be postponed or pushed aside. It needed to be prioritized. While others were cautious, LSU went on the offensive, looking to dive head first into what looked like a looming and somewhat inevitable reality. 

“Our willingness to invest in it and our commitment we’ve had to it from Day 1 – even before July 1 of 2021,” Jacobs said. “We’ve been committed to providing opportunity for our student-athletes, education, and making sure this is a space where we’re providing the same level of resources as we are in any other area. I think that has truly set us apart.”

EDUCATION: Since then, NILSU has prided itself on being more than deals and financial gains. From professional events such as Sweats to Suits, an annual fashion show, to Build Your Board, a networking event with local and national businesses, to Financial Literacy seminars and media training, student-athletes have received valuable, hands-on educational experiences preparing them for the real world. 

BRANDING: In March of 2025, The Brand launched on the third floor of Tiger Stadium – unifying multiple units of the department to create the ultimate hub for student-athlete and team brand elevation and innovation. Since then, student-athletes and athletic personnel have had access to LSU’s unrivaled brand-building resources: from communications and social media, to photo and design, to video and podcasts, to NIL and marketing. Each aspect of The Brand allows Tiger student-athletes to innovate, elevate, and dominate, not just in competition, but by growing their personal and team brands to unprecedented heights.

Student-athlete branding opportunities have also extended beyond the walls of The Brand, from being subjects in an Amazon documentary to starring in a national Powerade commercial, to taking over the Met Gala and appearing on Good Morning America. 

We say it all the time: when you combine the talent of a student-athlete with the platform of LSU, you see stars become icons. It all starts here.

“It’s cool seeing athletes genuinely want to be here, coming to us to talk brand deals, social media, how to grow,” Soil-Cormier said. “That organic buy in is everything. And then you see our former athletes at the Met Gala, landing major deals, on TV shows, showing up across every sport in huge moments. Seeing that never gets old.”

“Your NIL is your personal brand,” Jacobs added. “This is your story to tell. You are the author of your own story. Develop your brand. Understand it. Learn how to sell it. And then we have storytelling into all of these partnerships and experiences that you have as a student athlete.”

OPPORTUNITY: In February of 2025, LSU Athletics and Playfly Sports announced the launch of NILSU MAX, an independent entity dedicated to identifying and securing NIL opportunities for Tiger student athletes. This represented another significant step forward in the commitment to supporting every Tiger by unlocking opportunities that empower student-athletes to thrive both on and off the field.

Through this launch, NILSU remained focused on education, branding and recruiting initiatives, as well as resource strategy and helping student-athletes effectively fulfill deals, while NILSU MAX dedicated itself to sourcing deals and assisting businesses looking to activate in the NIL space. 

For LSU, being at the forefront means staying there. Just this year, NILSU and NILSU Max have played a key role in LSU Athletics delivering two historic, first-of-its-kind partnerships, creating shock waves across the athletics community. 

In December of 2025, Nike chose LSU to launch its Blue Ribbon Elite NIL program, signing 10 Tiger athletes to spearhead the campaign. In February of 2026, LSU announced a first-of-its-kind jersey patch partnership with Woodside Energy, marking another significant milestone in the new collegiate model. First-of-its-kind deals for a one-of-a-kind school. It’s still everyone else vs. LSU.

So as five years closes, a new half decade begins – where change is promised, uncertainty is guaranteed, but where NILSU is positioned to thrive, yet again. Continuing to break boundaries, set standards and shape the future. That will never change.

“I think we’re best positioned because we’re constantly seeking,” Jacobs said. “That’s something that I’ve always been very proud of. We’ve never being reactive, we’ve always been very proactive in this space. And we continue to be that way.”

“The infrastructure built is just starting to show what it can do,” Soil-Cormier added. “We’re at a point where our athletes aren’t just participating in NIL, they’re leading it. NILSU helped build the blueprint, and this feels like only the beginning.”