LSU men’s basketball is suffering through a bad season, the second in three years with Matt McMahon as the head coach. But LSU is not planning on firing McMahon at the end of the season. Sources say the plan is to bring McMahon back and increase the program’s NIL budget. Tiger Rag Editor Glenn Guilbeau says firing McMahon with four years left on his contract is too costly.
“So they would owe him around 10 million dollars to buy him out, and then that doesn’t count the assistants and then a new pledge to NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) to get a new coach,” Guilbeau explained.
Name, Image and Likeness deals are how major college athletic programs are attracting the best players to their schools. Guilbeau says LSU is near the bottom of the SEC in NIL money for men’s basketball.
“The lowest-funded teams in the SEC are all at the bottom right now. Oklahoma, South Carolina and LSU,” Guilbeau said.
LSU is 2-10 in the SEC heading into tonight’s matchup with South Carolina. The Tigers won just two SEC games in McMahon’s first season. Last year LSU was 9-9 in the SEC. Guilbeau says McMahon is doing what he can on the recruiting trail, but needs more NIL dollars to lure big-time prospects to Baton Rouge.
“Now, he does have good players coming in already. He’s got the No. 6 recruiting class coming in, three new players next year, and he’s had some decent additions this year. But he needs some drastic help, we can all tell,” Guilbeau said.
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