How NIL Can Affect LSU and College Baseball
Name, image and likeness has been in the background for the better part of the year but since becoming official in the last couple of weeks, it's really captivated college athletics. LSU athletes have posted various endorsement deals, autograph signings and various promotions via social media as this new age of college athletics begins.
Though he's only been on campus for three weeks and has obviously been tending to more pressing matters, coach Jay Johnson is excited about the possibility his players now have
"Well first off, I'm 100% for it, that's the first element of it," Johnson said. "Second, I want them to be able to use their platform to create value for themselves."
LSU is in a unique position when it comes to baseball and NIL as it's one of the most beloved teams in Baton Rouge because of that rich history behind the purple and gold at Alex Box Stadium. It figures that these opportunities to capitalize financially will greatly benefit current stars on the Tigers' roster like Dylan Crews, Tre Morgan, Cade Doughty, Gavin Dugas, Devin Fontenot and Ma'Khail Hilliard.
But the future of NIL and what it could mean for college baseball in particular is fascinating. In no other sports currently can players be drafted right out of high school. Some of the premier high school players in the country are selected in the first two or three rounds and never see the light of day at a college campus.
This year alone, LSU lost pitchers Ben Kudrna and Brock Selvidge as well as catchers Ian Moller and Carter Jensen to the draft. In the next couple of years as NIL finds its footing, it could significantly affect some of those decisions from top prospects at a university like LSU.
Not only will the players be able to earn a college degree and play in the SEC where the best baseball resides but also be able to make significant money as a player over a three or four-year period. It likely won't mean much to the first rounders out there but could push those players on the fence about signing to school.
"Certainly I think very specific to LSU, the interest in our program, how passionate people are about LSU baseball, I think may garner a significant amount of attention as is," Johnson said. "I think that attention will be a good platform for the players to take advantage of those new rules."
Johnson also said that it helps that the school is leaning into NIL so aggressively and giving the athletes every opportunity to capitalize on their name.
"We are working on constructing ways to help them do that and it's a completely different model than what we've dealt with at this point in time," Johnson said. "I'm very thankful that LSU is on the forefront of this thing, seems to be on the cutting edge. Seems to be putting some things in place for all of the athletes to be able to take advantage of that."