Lane Kiffin rebuilt LSU through the transfer portal, and some of the bills are now showing up in court. Baylor is suing Tigers offensive tackle Sean Thompkins Jr. for $85,000, saying he left Waco without paying what he owed on his NIL deal. He is the third LSU player this fall to be sued by a former school.

Thompkins signed an NIL agreement with Baylor in December but entered the transfer portal just weeks later. He initially committed to North Carolina before ultimately landing at LSU. Baylor claims his contract included a buyout clause that required him to pay the school after leaving and that he agreed to make the payment but never followed through. The university filed a lawsuit in Texas state court this week.

According to CJ of TigerBait.com on X, Baylor claims Thompkins failed to pay an $85,000 buyout that was allegedly part of the contract he signed in December. That was before he entered the transfer portal on January 1. The deal has Baylor paying Thompkins for his NIL rights through June 30, 2027, unless either side ended it sooner. Baylor said it ended automatically when he entered the portal, which made the buyout due.

A mediated settlement followed in May. Baylor says he has no payments under it, sent a written demand on September 22, and got no response. The suit asks for the $85,000 plus attorneys’ fees, court costs, and interest.

“Unfortunately, we now find that Mr. Thompkins has not kept his word, and has made no payment, despite required payment dates having come and gone,” Baylor’s law firm, Beard Kultgen, was blunt in that Sept. 22 letter.

Thompkins spent three seasons at Baylor. He redshirted in 2023, debuted in the 2024 opener against Tarleton State and played 10 games last year, starting the final five at left tackle. He was a three-star transfer, the No. 25 tackle in the portal. At LSU, he had played eight games, mostly on special teams, with no starts. Jordan Seaton and Weston Davis are ahead of him. LSU is 6-2 and off this week, with Alabama visiting Tiger Stadium next.

“In an effort to resolve this breach, Plaintiff and Defendant entered into a mediated settlement agreement on May 13, 2026, which outlines a payment schedule for Defendant to settle the ‘buyout’ of the NIL Agreement at a mediated and agreed-upon amount,” the lawsuit read, via KWTX. “Defendant failed to pay any amounts under the Settlement Agreement according to the payment schedule despite the fact that he agreed to make those payments.”

The schedule was tight. According to The Advocate, Thompkins owed $50,000 by August 10, then three payments of $11,666.67 on September 10, October 10, and November 10. The settlement also required him to direct LSU or Playfly Sports to send money to Baylor. However, the suit names Thompkins, not LSU. LSU declined to comment on the matter, as did Baylor and its attorney, Andy McSwain.

Baylor joins Ole Miss in NIL buyout dispute

Ole Miss has sued edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen for $550,000 and lineman Devin Harper for $400,000 over deals from their time in Oxford. Ole Miss asked LSU to cover it, and LSU denied because it wasn’t a part of these contracts. Baylor’s demand to Thompkins went out days after Umanmielen was served.

“Despite Plaintiff’s demand, there was no response, and Defendant failed to cure the default,” the lawsuit read, according to Tommy Witherspoon of KWTX.

The dollar figure is small next to what LSU has spent on its roster. The bigger point is that schools are now enforcing NIL buyouts in court, and every portal move carries that risk. Thompkins hasn’t responded publicly. The next filing will show whether he, LSU, or Playfly ends up writing the check.