Brian Kelly expresses excitement for new era of college football with revenue share

Just about every coach at this year’s SEC Media Days faced some type of question about NIL or the new workings of the House settlement and how they will impact college sports. LSU head man Brian Kelly was no different.

But Kelly provided a somewhat different outlook on all the recent changes in the sport. Rather than griping about this aspect or that, Kelly seemed to embrace the change as a whole.

“I’m excited about where we’re moving,” Brian Kelly told reporters. “I mean we’re in the early stages of this, so there’s going to be some iterations along the way that we’re going to have to look to address and improve. But I think if we operate with transparency, if we do a great job with consistency with how we apply things on a day-to-day basis, and great communication… because we’re all entering this for the first time. We haven’t all figured this out yet. But I’m excited about it.”

The LSU coach is entering his fourth season in charge of the program. The Tigers are looking to secure a College Football Playoff berth in the new format, a more achievable goal than ever.

Brian Kelly has used NIL and the transfer portal to shore up his roster. But he’s also been excellent at player retention. That can be as big as anything.

His attitude seems to be infectious within the building. Kelly repeatedly preached that he wants what’s best for players.

“I want to share the revenue with the players,” he said. “I want them to have a great experience where they can now fly in their families to watch them play and have a place to stay and have transportation and have those kind of things.”

That’s all a reality under the new House settlement. With revenue sharing set to kick in, schools can now directly pay players. Still, there will be an adjustment period. And it won’t be wholesale change right away.

“Look, the salary cap this year is close to $280 million in the NFL,” Brian Kelly pointed out. “We’re going to be about $13 million. We’re short money. But we’re not short of sharing the experiences that the student-athlete can have with this model, so I’m excited about it.”

That said, there’s an element to the new rules that has to be discussed. Will it be policed properly? And will schools play by the rules?

“Now it’s got to start with us, though, too,” Brian Kelly said. “Coaches, those that represent the universities, we can’t be looking for shortcuts and trying to get around the model. Let’s embrace the model with integrity and morality and let’s help build this thing, because I think we’re heading in the right direction. Let’s not mess this up.”