LSU Basketball senior guard Trace Young may average just a couple minutes per game. Still, he’s one of the school’s most active athletes on the name, image and likeness (NIL) scene, thanks to his thousands of followers, day-in-the-life vlogs and partnerships with major brands like Under Armour and Mercedes-Benz.
Last year, Young was featured alongside household names like Jayden Daniels, Angel Reese and Olivia Dunne in Amazon Prime Video’s The Money Game docuseries, which followed college athletes as they navigated the changing NIL landscape.
225 chatted with Young to learn about what goes into an NIL deal and how he’s managed to grow his presence off the court since high school.
Quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.
You’re from Austin, Texas, and started college at Colorado State University. What went into your decision to transfer to LSU?
When I took that leap of faith and entered the portal, I knew I was going to sacrifice all the playing time I earned at Colorado State. But that was something that I was OK with because I didn’t really see myself pursuing basketball long after college. I just wanted to go somewhere where I could be the best version of myself. When Coach (Matt) McMahon was telling me all about the culture and the fan base, that was really appealing to me. I love basketball and it’s a big part of my life, but there are so many other things I love doing. As I’ve matured and grown in my walk with Christ, I’ve realized that basketball really is a small part of who I am.
When did you first start really focusing on content creation?
I started with just my iPod Touch when I was young, and I remember I was always taking videos and making trick-shot videos with my friends on iMovie. I got a little GoPro for Christmas from my mom—I begged for it—and this little starter camera and I brought it everywhere with me. Toward the end of high school, I really started upgrading my cameras, diving into the editing process and trying to really build the quality.
I’ve realized that basketball really is a small part of who I am.
[Trace Young]
How have NIL opportunities impacted you since your arrival at LSU?
The opportunities have just been endless. This is one of the biggest brands in the world, really. The brand deals and the NIL actually had no part in why I transferred here. LSU wasn’t even on the table for a while. Then, at the last minute, they called me and said, “Hey, we think you’d be a great fit for the program.” The brand was just an extra bonus. Now, I’ve seen my stuff grow a ton, and being a part of The Money Game community with Livvy, Angel, Jayden and everybody was an insane experience.
What is your process like when you get a branding or NIL opportunity?
At first when the NIL laws changed, I was trying to handle everything on my own. It was kind of overwhelming because I had a lot of people reaching out with different deliverables and contracts. The biggest thing for me was remaining true to who I am. I’ve had to turn down a lot of things. If the money is really, really good, but I’m promoting vaping or nicotine or something like that, it’s not worth me sacrificing the platform and the followers to promote something I don’t believe in. I’ve also accepted deals that are not even close to my going rates, or even do some promotions for free, if it’s something like a startup or aligns with my values.
What are your plans post-graduation?
My father and I founded a company called Ballogy. It’s a sports development app for athletes and coaches. Coaches can go on (Ballogy) and there are different shooting drills, and you can just prop your phone up and go through a workout. It tracks all your makes and misses and all the analytics. We do basketball, football, soccer—eventually it’s going to be all sports. It’s something that I’m passionate about: the business side of sports. I’ve been the creative director for that company since we founded it. I will pursue all my content creation stuff because I love it and it’s making good money, but I’ll probably be doing Ballogy full-time as well and trying to blow that up.
This article was originally published in the March 2025 issue of 225 Magazine.
