TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
(Analysis written by LSUsports.net)
Five years. Half a decade.
Can you believe it?
From a macro-level, it feels like yesterday. Launching in Times Square with LSU gymast and social media superstar Olivia Dunne announcing to the world that NILSU was the real deal.
On July 1, 2021, after years of debate and legal battles, the NCAA’s Name, Image & Likeness rule officially launched with college athletes nationwide signing various endorsement deals just as the clock struck midnight. But no carriages turned into pumpkins.
FROM THE VAULT: USA TODAY Feature on Olivia Dunne from July 8, 2021
Dunne, who remains one of the most followed athletes on social media with 7.9 million followers on TikTok and 207,000 on Twitter, was front and center on a billboard sponsored by LSU in Times Square that July 1 five years ago Wednesday in New York City. The video via TikTok she posted of herself? It garnered 19.4 million views. Within days, a myriad of sponsorship deals flowed toward the 18-year-old from Hillsdale, New Jersey. And the NIL era was off.
From a micro-level, it was 1,827 days as of July 3. From every event to every content shoot, from sweats to suits to the money game, from revenue share to NILSU Max, the game has changed, and so has LSU.
Rules have changed. Laws have changed. Staffs have changed. It’s the only constant in a space that only knows one speed. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. LSU has remained at the forefront of it all, proving to the world what LSU already knew – nobody does NIL like LSU.
The discussions started before July 1, 2021. What others saw in Times Square was a culmination of work, planning, strategizing and months-long preparation, all so LSU could have the infrastructure in place to thrive in the NIL space from the jump.
Because if the last five years are any indication – from Nike deals, to Woodside patches, to social media trends and hype video scripts – LSU doesn’t react. It just does it.
It started with LSU athletics compliance coordinator Taylor Jacobs, who became associate athletic director of NIL and strategic initiatives and just last month chief strategy officer for football. Jacobs spearheaded LSU’s NIL efforts for five years.
“Taylor Jacobs built something really special here,” LSU associate athletic director for NIL Keava Soil-Cormier said. “We invested in NIL early, and we invested in it right. When others were waiting around and being skeptical, we leaned into it. LSU has always been a different kind of brand, and our fans and community are a huge part of that. It’s not something you can duplicate…and NILSU helps to amplify that.”
Excited about this new adventure! #geauxtigers https://t.co/f9cJ7Wzwmv
— Taylor Jacobs (@TaylorJacobsLSU) June 22, 2026
Jacobs sat down with LSU’s senior staff, where they decided the investment into the new era of collegiate athletics could not be postponed or pushed aside. It needed to be prioritized. While others were cautious, LSU went on the offensive, looking to dive head first into what looked like a looming and somewhat inevitable reality.
“Our willingness to invest in it and our commitment we’ve had to it from Day 1 – even before July 1 of 2021,” Jacobs said. “We’ve been committed to providing opportunity for our student-athletes, education, and making sure this is a space where we’re providing the same level of resources as we are in any other area. I think that has truly set us apart.”
Since then, NILSU has prided itself on being more than deals and financial gains. From professional events such as Sweats to Suits, an annual fashion show, to Build Your Board, a networking event with local and national businesses, to Financial Literacy seminars and media training, student-athletes have received valuable, hands-on educational experiences preparing them for the real world.
BRANDING
In March of 2025, The Brand launched on the third floor of Tiger Stadium – unifying multiple units of the department to create the ultimate hub for student-athlete and team brand elevation and innovation. Since then, student-athletes and athletic personnel have had access to LSU’s unrivaled brand-building resources: from communications and social media, to photo and design, to video and podcasts, to NIL and marketing.
Each aspect of The Brand allows Tiger student-athletes to innovate, elevate, and dominate, not just in competition, but by growing their personal and team brands to unprecedented heights. Student-athlete branding opportunities have also extended beyond the walls of The Brand, from being subjects in an Amazon documentary to starring in a national Powerade commercial, to taking over the Met Gala and appearing on Good Morning America.
“It’s cool seeing athletes genuinely want to be here, coming to us to talk brand deals, social media, how to grow,” Soil-Cormier said. “That organic buy in is everything. And then you see our former athletes at the Met Gala, landing major deals, on TV shows, showing up across every sport in huge moments. Seeing that never gets old.”
“Your NIL is your personal brand,” Jacobs added. “This is your story to tell. You are the author of your own story. Develop your brand. Understand it. Learn how to sell it. And then we have storytelling into all of these partnerships and experiences that you have as a student athlete.”
NILLSU MAX LAUNCHED
In February of 2025, LSU Athletics and Playfly Sports announced the launch of NILSU MAX, an independent entity dedicated to identifying and securing NIL opportunities for LSU athletes. This represented another significant step forward in the commitment to supporting every Tiger by unlocking opportunities that empower student-athletes to thrive both on and off the field.
Through this launch, NILSU remained focused on education, branding and recruiting initiatives, as well as resource strategy and helping student-athletes effectively fulfill deals, while NILSU MAX dedicated itself to sourcing deals and assisting businesses looking to activate in the NIL space.
For LSU, being at the forefront means staying there. Just this year, NILSU and NILSU Max have played a key role in LSU Athletics delivering two historic, first-of-its-kind partnerships, creating shock waves across the athletics community.
In December of 2025, Nike chose LSU to launch its Blue Ribbon Elite NIL program, signing 10 Tiger athletes to spearhead the campaign. In February of 2026, LSU announced a first-of-its-kind jersey patch partnership with Woodside Energy, marking another significant milestone in the new collegiate model.
So as five years closes, a new half decade begins, where change is promised, uncertainty is guaranteed, but where NILSU is positioned to thrive.
“I think we’re best positioned, because we’re constantly seeking. That’s something that I’ve always been very proud of. We’re never being reactive. We’ve always been very proactive. And we continue to be that way,” Jacobs said.
“The infrastructure built is just starting to show what it can do,” Soil-Cormier said. “We’re at a point where our athletes aren’t just participating in NIL, they’re leading it. NILSU helped build the blueprint, and this feels like only the beginning.”
(Tiger Rag Editor Glenn Guilbeau contributed to this story.)
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