LSU went all-in on Lane Kiffin and spared no expense to build its college football roster for 2026. Brian Kelly claims he had less than half of the NIL money as his replacement.
That’s a huge difference.
In an era of college football where money can buy wins, there is no excuse for the Tigers not to make the Playoff. It will be interesting to see whether this is a one-time expenditure or if this spending continues.
Brian Kelly had less money than Lane Kiffin.
Although preseason polls do not matter, they serve as a good barometer for talent. Teams that are ranked higher in August have higher expectations for success because of the quality of player on the team.
LSU was ranked as high as No. 9 in the preseason rankings for 2025. The Tigers finished at 7-6 with a loss to Houston in the Texas Bowl. Brian Kelly was fired after eight games. It was a disaster.
Part of the preseason outlook that did not play out according to plan stemmed from spending.
Brian Kelly revealed on his radio show in August that LSU spend around $18 million on its roster for last season, which included an allocation of $13.5 million of the revenue sharing budget. That was more than triple the amount spent for the year prior. According to the general counsel of Bayou Traditions, the Tigers spent $5.5 million in 2024 and $11 million total from 2022-24.
The total spending for the last four seasons combined is approximately three quarters of what was spent on 2026 alone. Allegedly…
How much NIL money did LSU football spend on its roster for 2026?
Brian Kelly joined Danny Kanell’s radio show on SiriusXM to discuss a variety of different topics. One of them was the discrepancy between his financial backing and the financial backing for Lane Kiffin.
The 64-year-old claims LSU spent north of $40 million on its college football roster for 2026. He says that number hovers closer to the $50 million-mark than $40.
Assuming this figure is accurate, that puts the Tigers at or near the top of the sport.
“They got the most expensive roster in the SEC,” one SEC general manager told Pete Nakos.
He is not alone in that thinking. Most of the country agrees with the hypothetical financial audit.
LSU spent a massive fortune on 40 new players through the transfer portal. Those additions include star defensive end Princewill Umanmielen, who received a pay raise from his $1 million+ salary Ole Miss, and offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, who was asking more than $2.5 million from his top suitors. It also includes quarterback Sam Leavitt. Kiffin nearly bungled his chances to land the former Arizona State signal-caller, which required the Tigers to increase their offer to somewhere between $4 and $5 million.
Even though LSU is not the only team in college football with a roster worth $40 million or greater, it puts the pressure on its new head coach to win right away. A national championship is the expectation. Anything short of the Final Four would be disappointing. Falling short of the Playoff would be a disaster.