Gordon McKernan to offer LSU basketball team-wide NIL deal
Over the past year, Gordon McKernan has emerged as the biggest NIL investor in the LSU market.
He’s now ready to sign his second team-wide deal. The injury attorney firm announced Friday afternoon that McKernan is extending an NIL offer to every eligible athlete on the team.
On top of the NIL portion of the announcement, McKernan announced a partnership with LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey. Mulkey is donating 24 extra bikes to the annual Gordon Gives Bike Giveaway.
“Ever since I came back to Louisiana, I wanted to partner with Gordon because I know he cares about this state as much as I do,” Mulkey said in a statement. “Giving back is important. And to honor that, we are kicking off our partnership by focusing on the community.”
McKernan is by far the most aggressive funder of NIL activity in Baton Rouge. Over the past six weeks alone, he has signed Jayden Daniels, Mason Taylor and Josh Williams to his roster.
One of the most active figures in NIL, he hasn’t generated as much national attention as Miami mega-booster John Ruiz and LifeWallet. But McKernan and his firm have struck significant NIL deals with top student-athletes at all of the top college programs in Louisiana.
It is believed he played a key role in Kayshon Boutte opting to not enter the Transfer Portal last year. The attorney previously told Sports Illustrated the price tag for elite players is often at least $100,000. He said he will pay $500,000 in NIL deals this year.
Mulkey has the Tigers off to a 9-0 start and ranked No. 11 in the country in her second season at LSU. A former Louisiana Tech star, she won three NCAA titles at Baylor with a 632–104 over 21 seasons.
Competitive NIL landscape in women’s basketball
For all the attention football and men’s basketball has garnered since the jump of the NIL Era, women’s basketball has produced star after star. And past the individual success, programs have turned to NIL to compete in the sport.
Before the start of the season, South Carolina’s Garnet Trust collective announced each member of the team would be provided the opportunity to earn an average of $25,000 or more in NIL deals — roughly $325,000 total. Shortly after, Dawn Staley assisted the team in signing with the clinical program Rewind.
Level 13 Agency committed $25,000 per player to Texas Tech earlier this summer. Plus, the Lady Vol Boost Her Club assisted in Tamari Key, Sara Puckett and Jordan Walker all signing with Knoxville’s AT&T Fiber.
In a growing landscape where cash is king, securing compensation is not a problem. NIL is starting to become a dealbreaker in recruiting, even in basketball. Providing these opportunities will only help roster retention and success in recruiting.