BY WILSON ALEXANDER | Staff writer His neurons began to fire, and suddenly Gordon McKernan had another idea. Excitement washed across his face as he suggested a video game competition between two LSU athletes he signed to name, image and likeness deals. First baseman Tre’ Morgan and wide receiver Kyren Lacy believed they could beat anyone at any sports game. So naturally, he thought they should make a bet. McKernan, a personal injury attorney heavily involved in NIL, would donate the proceeds to a charity of the winner’s choice. “Can we do that live?” McKernan asked his videographer. McKernan filed away the idea somewhere in his mind and resumed an interview with Morgan last month. Three cameras filmed them in the Baton Rouge restaurant Modesto, where McKernan has ownership interest, for his latest video with an LSU athlete. His firm later turned the footage into social media clips. Wearing one of Morgan’s personalized shirts, McKernan asked about his client's upbringing, interests, hairstyle and baseball career. They chatted for an hour over queso and tacos. Despite the manufactured setup, the conversation sounded natural. McKernan thought of more marketing possibilities as they talked. He could make charitable donations — or perhaps Modesto would offer dollar margaritas — for every home run Morgan hit this season. “Everybody would leave out at the stadium and come right over here,” McKernan said. That’s how McKernan's mind works. Ideas appear in an instant, racing, and he approaches everything with effort. So 14 months since he became the public face of NIL support around LSU, he continues to brainstorm new strategies as he navigates an ever-changing landscape without nationwide guidelines. McKernan and his staff have to think ahead. He signed roughly 20 LSU athletes last year — including 15 football players — the most known for one local business. McKernan estimated he will have spent between $750,000 to $1 million on payments to football players alone by the end of the spring. And there will be more deals in the months and years ahead. “Anything I do, I tend to overdo. That's how I am,” McKernan said. “One billboard is 1,000 billboards. One inflatable is now a Clark Griswold Christmas out front. One NIL (deal) is now 20, or whatever it is. I have trouble throttling down in life. I'm high energy and very competitive and aggressive.” This level of involvement felt obvious to McKernan. His father and his father-in-law played sports at LSU. He and his family graduated from there, with his son walking onto the football team. He loved the school, and perhaps NIL deals would boost the public approval of an attorney known for his billboards and commercials. Initially, McKernan waited like so many others to assess an uncertain market after NIL legislation went into effect July 1, 2021. He signed his first deal with guard Alexis Morris five months later. Morris declined to reveal particulars of the agreement, but she said McKernan gave her a bonus when she signed a second contract. Morris feels indebted to McKernan. She has been able to provide for some family members and learned how to manage her money because of the NIL deal, giving her financial stability she otherwise wouldn't have when she leaves school. She and McKernan have remained close ever since. She likes that he asks about more than basketball. “Forget the money,” Morris said. “All these people out here offering NIL deals, but that's what separates Gordon. He actually cares about his athletes. He actually cares.” The deal with Morris created attention, but the real catalyst for McKernan's involvement came two weeks later. He was duck hunting in Kansas when rumors swirled of rival schools trying to poach wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in the midst of a vulnerable period for the football program. McKernan signed Boutte — which Boutte said in August was not a major factor in his decision to stay for the 2022 season — to prove people couldn’t pluck whoever they wanted from LSU teams. “I thought a message had to be sent publicly to declare, and hopefully other boosters would see it and wake up,” McKernan said. “And we'd say, 'You're not going to come into this state and take our best player. We're going to lower the gauntlet.’” McKernan continued to sign players throughout the year. He looked for stars, personality and compelling stories. Morgan’s curly blond hair caught his attention at an LSU baseball banquet. Morgan, a New Orleans native, knew him from billboards by the interstate. They agreed to a one-year contract, and Morgan resigned as soon as the first deal ended. “When you pull up to Baton Rouge, you see billboards everywhere,” Morgan said. “The first billboard you're going to see when you get to Baton Rouge is 'Get Gordon.' "Having the opportunity to partner with a guy who is so well-known, so well-advertised, it can only help my brand.” As much experience as McKernan now has, he is still learning. Start with who he should sign. He has to evaluate risk, so his firm runs social media background checks and he uses connections within the programs to learn about players. It’s still an inexact science. McKernan struck deals with running backs Noah Cain and John Emery before the season, then former walk-on Josh Williams turned into the starter who demanded attention. McKernan later signed him, too. “It might be safer to wait until the season starts and see who's developing and then go with those guys,” McKernan said. “I don't have that formula down.” Then he has to consider fair market value for compensation. McKernan considers an athlete's number of social media followers and uses a website that ranks influencers. Football players command the most money, but the numbers vary without a national standard. McKernan said he “could never justify” the $13 million Florida’s collective originally promised to quarterback recruit Jaden Rashada. After that, the length of contracts. Most run a year long, but quarterback Jayden Daniels signed a six-to-eight week deal after the Alabama game to finish last season. McKernan met with him again in January to negotiate another potential contract. Angel Reese, a breakout star at forward, started with a two-month trial before agreeing to a longer deal. “You've got to have some love of the game or love the school involved in that determination to spend those ad dollars in the NIL space,” McKernan said. “You're not going to get a good return. You're still getting a return, but it's not going to be the same. We're willing to get lower returns on this dollar because we're doing something good to help the school, to help the athlete.” Around this time last year, McKernan felt isolated with NIL. He encouraged other business owners to get involved and described the efforts around LSU as slow, trying to create momentum. Cleared by amended Louisiana law and NCAA guidance, the school now has an official collective, Bayou Traditions, which widened the potential donor pool. McKernan thinks LSU and its supporters have more work to do. But he feels like a peninsula these days, and senses the water receding around him. “A few years from now, I'll be another name in the crowd,” McKernan said. “I don't think people will give much thought to me because I think a lot of other people will be involved. That will be good. I was hoping just to be a bridge from this point to where eventually the LSU faithful came on board en masse, and I think that's going to happen.” Perhaps, but that afternoon after his lunch with Morgan, he had a meeting scheduled with transfer pitcher Paul Skenes. And what about a fan-created sack dance for defensive tackle Maason Smith that sparked $1,000 charitable donations every time he did the move? Much further away, McKernan noticed a high school recruit still a year from arriving on campus. He might want to sign Colin Hurley, a 2024 four-star quarterback. The ideas continue to flow, some good, some bad, but never stopping for long. “Might be him,” McKernan said. “My mind's already thinking.” | 