LSU baseball star Tommy White pledges portion of NIL income to local charity

Nakos updated headshotby:Pete Nakos09/27/22

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LSU baseball star Tommy White is giving back to the Baton Rouge community in a big way.

The NC State transfer was named the NCABWA national freshman hitter of the year and earned first-team All-American honors. His 27 home runs this spring broke the NCAA freshman record, which had stood for 32 years.

Now with the Tigers and preparing for his his first spring in the SEC, White has announced plans to donate a portion of his NIL income to Empower 225, a charitable organization aimed at providing children with the necessary resources to set up a successful future. White’s main goal of the donation is to support at-risk youth in the Baton Rouge community.

White’s initiative has been dubbed, “Tiny Tanks” which is a play on his nickname Tommy Tanks. Plans are in place for him to also donate to Dreams Come True of Louisiana and Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, both charitable organizations around LSU.

“I am excited to give back to the children of the Baton Rouge community through my Tiny Tanks charitable initiative,” White said in a statement. “Please join me in supporting this great foundation, Empower 225, as we help uplift children in need.”

Rising NIL potential for Tommy White

The third baseman has inked plenty of NIL partnerships since his breakout season. He has deals in place with Fortnite and Big League Chew gum. He announced this spring that he had signed with Bose. And when he arrived at LSU, he signed with Geaux Enterprises. The closest thing the school has to a collective, it has reportedly raised several million dollars and struck roughly 20 deals.

The ACC Freshman of the Year has continued to build his brand. He is using Vayner Sports for NIL representation. BreakingT has a Tommy Tanks T-shirt on sale. And his social media following has skyrocketed — now more than 30,000 between Instagram and Twitter.

A strong season in the SEC will only help.

“Tommy is a great player who is going to make a tremendous impact on our program, but more than that, he’s going to make a tremendous impact on our community,” LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson said in a release.