Will Wade headed to LSU

[NKR1978]

Agree. That's his point. That being said, Jay's "smartest guy in the room" attitude has worn thin for awhile with me.

He definitely is at the point where he believes he is always right, but he's not wrong here.

 

[RyanCuse44]

This is pretty good -

 

[DoctahLexus]

Literally how does LSU have any money? The academic department must be another shack along the bayou.

 

[richmondcuse03]

The state is ranked 44th in per capita income.

It's always a matter of priorities. Plenty of money -- it's just what folks decide to spend it on. Some states, like NY, focus on other things than sports.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Literally how does LSU have any money? The academic department must be another shack along the bayou.

They keep cutting spending elsewhere.

Louisiana universities underfunded by $850 million, higher ed leaders say • Louisiana Illuminator

After three consecutive years of standstill state budgets, Louisiana’s public colleges and universities are struggling with the effects of inflation and bloating athletics budgets.

lailluminator.com

 

[Newhouser]

This board is going to lose their mind if they sign Scherz.

 

[orangecuse]

Bilas also thought that NIL would be nothing more than car dealerships and HVAC companies throwing players a few thousand for commercials here and there.

Like many here did? Meanwhile, those whom had some foresight and seeing the runaway train that it would become were thrown shade at, accused of supporting slave type labor malarkey and the like.

 

[DoctorBombay]

This board is going to lose their mind if they sign Scherz.

Schuck Ferz- his loss.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

This board is going to lose their mind if they sign Scherz.

Not really.

 

[mscanlo]

Literally how does LSU have any money? The academic department must be another shack along the bayou.

I’ll try to answer and provide some perspective based on my limited experience. Others here may have deeper insight.

My understanding is that roughly half of the SEC athletic programs are very well funded and generate profits, or operating surpluses on their own. In many cases, those surpluses are returned to the universities themselves.

On the revenue side, a typical SEC program may look roughly like this (I'm probably short changing them):

• SEC TV revenue: ~$75M annually
• Ticket sales: $40M+
• Contributions/donations: $50M–$100M (e.g., Tiger Athletic Foundation, Georgia Bulldog club, etc. i.e. the fundraising/ticketing arm of the athletics program (not NIL collective), generating revenue via donations, especially "seat donations", etc.)
• Sponsorships & licensing: ~$25M
• Other revenue (bowl games, guaranteed games, etc.): $10M–$20M+

I also think there’s a misconception around NIL funding. Unlike what we often hear about at other schools (e.g., Phil Knight, Mark Cuban, etc.), many SEC programs are supported by donors who aren’t well known publicly but have significant financial capacity. There are a lot of quiet dollars in the SEC.

Similarly, NIL funding is often misunderstood in terms of structure. While there are a few large donors, many programs rely on a layered donor base. For example, 10+ contributors at $1M per year, followed by a dozens of six-figure contributors, then many more at five figures. The big donors matter, but the aggregate impact of smaller contributors is meaningful. LSU also has a lot of former athletes who have had great careers. Shaq is worth a couple hundred million now if i am not mistaken

That being said, there is a rumor one donor paid the entirety, or at least the bulk, of Brian Kelly's buyout ($54M), so there is some money around the Bayou

I've heard in terms of money amongst fanbases, Texas and Texas A&M are #1 and #2, with a stairstep down to #3. Probably not the schools would've thought of, but makes sense.