LSU has spent an estimated $242 M on its FB and BB teams with $40 M going to the transfer portal.
LSU has emerged as the most aggressive spender in college sports over the past five months, committing over $200M to completely reshape their football and men's basketball programs. The spending spree began in October when AD Scott Woodward fired head football coach Brian Kelly following a late-season collapse. Woodward himself was out shortly after amid criticism from Louisiana's governor, with Verge Ausberry stepping in as the new AD. LSU initially tried to fire Kelly for cause to avoid his buyout, but ultimately paid out the full $54 million in November 2025.
From there, LSU set its sights on Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as Kelly's replacement. The Tigers landed him ahead of Ole Miss' College Football Playoff run, covering his $3 million buyout and signing him to a seven-year, $91 million contract worth $13 million annually. LSU then went all-in on the transfer portal, spending at least $40 million to bring in 40 new players, including some of the nation's highest-profile players.
The overhaul didn't stop at football. Last week, LSU turned its attention to men's basketball, hiring Will Wade away from NC State after a drawn-out process that ended with the formal firing of Matt McMahon, who never made the NCAA Tournament in four seasons. LSU covered Wade's $4 million NC State buyout and McMahon's $8 million buyout, then signed Wade to a seven-year, $30 million deal. Wade will have at least $12 million, and potentially up to $15 million, for his roster payroll.
Got all that? In total, LSU's combined spending across buyouts, coaching contracts, and projected payrolls for both programs lands at an estimated $242 million, a deliberate push from the top down to compete at the highest level in both football and basketball.
Link: https://link.on3.com/click/44958432.663236/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub24zLmNvbS9uZXdzL2Nvc3Qtb2YtYS1uZXctZXJhLWxzdS1jb21taXR0aW5nLW92ZXItMjAwLW1pbGxpb24tdG8tbGFuZS1raWZmaW4td2lsbC13YWRlLz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNhaWx0aHJ1JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPW9uM190b3Bf
Replies to: “LSU has spent an estimated $242 M on its FB and BB teams with $40 M going to the transfer portal.”
Correlation?
I didn't even know that there are 169 "National Universities."
Link: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/louisiana-state-university-baton-rouge-2010
Presume that is schools that have a "national appeal"...as judged by US News...
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If not for those cajuns, purpleface would probably still be coaching ND
Sometimes you need others to save you from your own gutlessness
Amen to that.
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What this tells me is Kiff better win. And by better win, he better win now.
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Yep...or he'll face the dreaded...GOLDEN PARACHUTE...
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Exactly. There are no real consequences for failed big time college fb coaches.
The club takes care of its own. May as well be a bunch of natsec bureaucrats. Whatever you do, you walk.
"Nothing that I hear about Lane Kiffin ever surprises me." LOU HOLTZ
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High wealth/education state like Maine and Mass?
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Low IQ/Insane fan base... I know how they wasted $100 million of that...
I am eternally grateful to them though...
It's amazing how state schools in some of the poorest states (i.e. LA, ALA, Miss.) can justify
spending so much $$$ on college sports when their at-risk populations live in decrepit housing, lack of quality public education, poor health care access, broken down infrastructure, etc.
Mississippi's Education Ranking is now 16th overall, and #1 when adjusted for poverty and demo
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I expect the general populace to turn on this at some point...but we shall see...
At least in some of these states...
In Kelly's case, they apparently got a donor to foot his buyout. (Don't care how rich I got...can't imagine spending money on THAT.)
Had they not, it would have fallen on the state.
One of these days, that will happen...
Consent Management