Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, its conference, the state of Louisiana and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 21, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at LSU
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | LSU publishes its NIL rules on the NILSU pages of its athletics site ("NIL Rules and Regulations" and "FAQs"; neither shows a date, and both addresses end in "25update"; read 2026-10-21) and in the 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook. The handbook lists, among things an athlete may not do, promoting a commercial product or taking free goods "without a valid, approved NIL agreement", and engaging in an NIL deal without reporting it through NIL Go. Parts of the FAQ for businesses still repeat Louisiana text that Act 307 of 2022 and Act 358 of 2024 removed (pay "commensurate with market value"; no pay from LSU or an entity that supports it) and say "LSU will not be involved in arranging compensation or contracts for an intercollegiate athlete or provide compensation themselves". No LSU Board of Supervisors NIL policy was found online | LSU NILSU, "NIL Rules and Regulations" and "FAQs"; LSU 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook |
| How deals are disclosed | NIL Go for third-party deals of $600 or more within five business days of execution (NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). LSU's FAQ says in-kind items count toward the $600, that an athlete may name one representative in NIL Go but submits the deal personally, that LSU faculty and staff may not be that representative, and that the Influencer app is used "for all third party NIL deals" to find opportunities, disclose deals, access content and receive payments. Louisiana law separately requires disclosure to the school of any NIL contract worth $600 or more, in the manner the school designates (R.S. 17:3703(I)) | LSU NILSU, "FAQs"; NCAA 2026-27 Division I Manual |
| Banned categories | Louisiana bars NIL pay for endorsing tobacco, alcohol, illegal substances or activities, banned athletic substances, and any form of gambling or gaming, including sports wagering (R.S. 17:3703(C)(2)). LSU's list: gambling, alcohol, sports betting, performance-enhancing supplements, controlled substances, marijuana, tobacco, and any product inconsistent with the values and mission of the university or that reflects adversely on it. LSU may also refuse deals that conflict with state law, university policy or a university contract, and lists missed academic obligations, compliance meetings, Tiger Life obligations and team obligations as prohibited conflicts | LSU NILSU, "FAQs"; /nil/college/louisiana |
| School marks and group licensing | LSU's FAQ says an NIL deal using LSU logos, marks, trademarks, copyrights or facilities cannot be executed until written permission is received, and that permission is granted or declined during the disclosure process. LSU's NIL rules page sends questions to LSU Trademark Licensing, 225-578-3386, trademark@lsu.edu. The athletics site links "The Player Shop (NIL)" on the official LSU online store; no group licensing terms are published there | LSU NILSU, "NIL Rules and Regulations"; lsusports.net |
| Revenue sharing | The 2026-27 cap is approximately $21.58 million per school (College Sports Commission). LSU's handbook says revenue sharing began in July 2025, provides direct payments to select athletes under a written contract with terms and expectations, and that Academic Enhancement Funding is now counted inside each school's total revenue-share allocation. The handbook also says revenue-share payments can be reduced or suspended for conduct, with a written appeal. LSU is on the College Sports Commission's list of participating schools for 2026-27. No yearly total was found on LSU's athletics or compliance pages (checked 2026-10-21), although R.S. 17:3703(M)(2) makes that total public | LSU 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook; College Sports Commission, "Revenue Sharing" and "Participating Schools" |
| Collective or NIL group | NILSU MAX, launched by LSU Athletics and Playfly Sports (LSU's multimedia rights holder, operating as LSU Sports Properties) on 2025-02-26, which LSU describes as "a new, independent entity dedicated to identifying and securing NIL opportunities"; LSU's in-house NILSU staff keep education, branding and recruiting. Bayou Traditions, a Baton Rouge collective, was named the official collective of LSU Athletics on 2023-01-30, and the Tiger Athletic Foundation announced in 2024 that its subsidiary, TAF Services Corporation, would provide the collective's fundraising services. The collective's own site still called it "The Official Collective of LSU Athletics" on 2026-10-21, but LSU's current NILSU pages do not mention it, and neither LSU nor TAF has published a dated statement on the relationship after 2024 | LSU Athletics, NILSU MAX launch (2025-02-26); LSU Athletics (2023-01-30); Tiger Athletic Foundation; Bayou Traditions |
| Agents and representation | LSU's FAQ says agents or advisors for NIL contracts must be registered with the State of Louisiana and the LSU Compliance Office; LSU's registration page asks for its Agent/Advisor/Attorney Registration Form (August 2026 version) and proof of Attorney General registration, and says registration is not an endorsement. That page also says that "Under Louisiana State law" agents must give "at least seven (7) days of advance notice in writing to the Athletics Director and Head Coach of any potential contact with an LSU student-athlete"; the statute applies that seven-day notice "with respect to agent contracts only" (R.S. 4:424(C)), and for NIL deals has the agent ensure the athlete discloses the endorsement contract to the school (R.S. 4:423.1(F)(1)). Under Louisiana law, since 2026-06-09 anyone paid to represent or advise an athlete on NIL is an athlete agent who registers with the Department of Justice (R.S. 4:421, 4:422) | LSU Compliance, "Registration"; /nil/college/louisiana |
| Compliance contact | LSU Athletics Compliance, Athletics Administration Building, Baton Rouge; compliance@lsu.edu, 225-578-4100. NIL questions: the NILSU office, nilsu@lsu.edu | LSU Compliance; LSU NILSU, "FAQs" |
| State law | Louisiana lets a school pay for NIL when association rules, a court order or a settlement allows it, requires disclosure of NIL contracts worth $600 or more, bans five endorsement categories, registers NIL agents with the Department of Justice and keeps disclosed contracts and per-athlete revenue-sharing amounts out of the Public Records Law (in force) | /nil/college/louisiana |
What is specific to LSU
LSU ties revenue sharing to day-to-day conduct in writing. Its 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook says that when an athlete misses obligations to the team, the department or the university, the department can apply revenue-share reductions, payment or agreement suspensions and athletics charges; the athlete gets an email headed "ACTION REQUIRED: Charge/Reduction/Suspension Notification", has seven calendar days to appeal through the ARMS workflow, and the appeals committee has seven calendar days to decide, with final decisions. The handbook says those appeals are considered only through that workflow and not through direct communications from attorneys, agents, parents or advisors, and that reductions reset at the end of each academic year. On the NIL side, LSU splits the work between NILSU, the athletics department unit that has run NIL education and branding since July 2021, and NILSU MAX, the independent group LSU Athletics and Playfly Sports launched to source deals, while the Influencer app is where LSU says third-party deals are found, disclosed and paid.
What is public about LSU NIL pay
Louisiana is one of the states that keeps NIL records closed. Any document an athlete hands LSU that references the terms of an NIL contract is confidential and outside the Public Records Law (R.S. 17:3703(M)(1)). For revenue sharing, Act 818 of 2026 (effective 2026-08-01) makes the school's total yearly spending a public record, but not the amount or percentage paid to any athlete or sport, and not the revenue-sharing agreements or the records from negotiating them (3703(M)(2), (3)); Act 818 applies to requests pending on or after that date. In practice, what LSU publishes is program-level: that revenue sharing exists, began in July 2025, uses written contracts, does not reach every athlete, and can be reduced for conduct. LSU's athletics and compliance pages did not show a yearly total when read on 2026-10-21.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state and level, and keeps the contract, its dates and the disclosure deadline that applies. It is a summary, not a ruling; the school and the law decide. Leave is software, not an agent, and takes 0% of any deal. You decide, you send.
Questions about NIL at LSU
Does LSU pay its athletes?
Yes, through revenue sharing. LSU's NILSU FAQ says that under the House v. NCAA settlement LSU may pay athletes directly through a revenue-sharing model, subject to an annual cap and at the university's discretion, and its 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook says payments began in July 2025, go to select athletes under a written contract, and are not available to every athlete. The 2026-27 cap is approximately $21.58 million per school (College Sports Commission). LSU does not publish individual amounts, and Louisiana law keeps them out of the public record.
How do LSU athletes report NIL deals?
Third-party deals worth $600 or more, cash or in-kind, go to NIL Go within five business days of execution (NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). LSU's FAQ adds that its Influencer app is used for all third-party NIL deals, and that a deal using LSU marks or facilities cannot be executed until LSU gives written permission. LSU's FAQ says a deal that is not cleared can be revised and resubmitted, cancelled with any pay returned, or appealed to neutral arbitration.
What NIL collective works with LSU?
LSU's current NIL pages point to NILSU MAX, which LSU Athletics and Playfly Sports launched on 2025-02-26 as an independent entity that sources NIL deals for LSU athletes. Bayou Traditions was named the official collective of LSU Athletics in January 2023, and its website still used that title on 2026-10-21, but LSU's current NILSU pages do not mention it and LSU has not published a dated statement on the relationship since 2024.
Can LSU take away revenue-share money?
LSU's 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook says yes: missed obligations can lead to revenue-share reductions, suspension of payments or of the revenue-share agreement, and athletics charges. The athlete has seven calendar days to appeal through the ARMS workflow, the appeals committee decides within seven calendar days, and its decisions are final. The handbook also lists failing to report an arrest, hazing, and failing to follow NCAA, SEC, revenue-sharing and NIL reporting rules as grounds for reduced or lost revenue-share payments and scholarship aid.
Are LSU athletes' NIL contracts public?
No. Under Louisiana R.S. 17:3703(M)(1), any document an athlete discloses to the school that references the terms of an NIL contract is confidential and not subject to the Public Records Law. Since 2026-08-01, LSU's total yearly revenue-sharing spending is public, but what it pays any specific athlete or sport, and its revenue-sharing negotiation records and agreements, are not (3703(M)(2), (3)).
Does an NIL agent need to register to work with LSU athletes?
LSU's NIL FAQ says agents and advisors for NIL contracts must be registered with the State of Louisiana and the LSU Compliance Office, and LSU's compliance site has an Agent/Advisor/Attorney Registration Form dated August 2026. Louisiana's athlete agent law, as rewritten by Act 895 of 2026, covers anyone paid to represent or advise an athlete on NIL and requires registration with the Department of Justice.
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