Lane Kiffin Has One Reason Why Coaching In The NIL Era Is Easier

Although the NIL era has brought a host of problems to college football, LSU head coach Lane Kiffin explains that it has some benefits.

Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

There's no denying that the NIL era has brought on its own set of problems that result in an incredibly complicated world for athletic directors and coaches to work around.

For LSU, however, NIL does have its benefits. LSU's athletics program features one of the best NIL strategies nationally in college football and is leading the way in innovation to be able to effectively keep up with those funds. It's a big reason why LSU recruited the No. 1-ranked transfer portal class and is actively pursuing the top players in the 2027 class.

That's the most obvious reason why the current NIL era benefits the Tigers especially, but Kiffin outlined a few more areas in which he finds coaching easier with NIL.

Being Able To Pay Players Also Means Being Able To Fine Them

Harlem Berry 22, LSU Tigers take on the Texas A&M Aggies. October 25, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium. Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With NIL and the ability to pay players, college football is increasingly looking more and more like the NFL. The nature of the transfer portal introduces a watered-down kind of free agency, while players are able to be swayed in recruiting decision-making processes by the prospect of a salary.

Compensation, while beneficial and needed for players, removed the amateuristic aspects of college football. With that compensation comes a new kind of punishment for players: Fines.

LSU's program now has a fining system, similar to that of the NFL, and Kiffin claims that its use makes coaching much easier.

“With NIL and the portal, there are a lot of problems that have been created,” Kiffin said on the podcast Pardon My Take. “With them getting paid, I don’t think that’s as challenging. I don’t think it’s as challenging to get guys to do things because we’re paying you. If you don’t want to do it, there’s a fine system, just like the NFL. I find it’s actually easier."

The fining system, put in place to counterbalance NIL compensation, introduces a level of professionalism to LSU's program that, up until now, hasn't been widely seen in college sports. With fair compensation for players and the ability to use it as a motivator, staff members have all the tools to treat players like professionals in every aspect of play. It's a motivator to reach the expectations set by that professional standard.

“They kind of, in their mind, think they’re like pros now – which is good," Kiffin said. "That’s how we talk to them. So you’ve got high expectations. ‘Hey, we expect you do these things. We expect you to do these things in the weight room, in the film room, all these different things.’ If you want to be a normal student and not really do all those things, that’s fine. Go see the GM and give back half your money, if you want to do half the work."

Although LSU's fining system is a fresh take on how to handle the current college football landscape, the Tigers aren't the first schools to use a similar system. Georgia reportedly started introducing fines as punishments in 2024, and a video surfaced of Deion Sanders fining players on Colorado's roster in January 2026, although Colorado's fining system reportedly does not involve NIL deal compensation.

With college football rising toward professional league levels in terms of structure and player expectations, it won't be surprising to see more and more schools adopt a fining system in order to introduce fair punishments that are equivalent to fair compensation. For now, LSU football is part of a pack that is leading the way in that aspect.

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