Toosii’s LSU Stint Ends After Reported Gambling Deal, Lane Kiffin Explains

In the messy middle of the NIL era, a high-profile experiment at LSU has already ended. Coach Lane Kiffin confirmed on June 17 that rapper Toosii, born Nau’Jour Grainger, is no longer with the Tigers after the musician reportedly signed a deal with a gambling company that ran up against NCAA rules.

Speaking on the In the Bayou with Tyrann Mathieu podcast, Kiffin framed the departure as a conflict between the limits the program imposes and the opportunities a national artist can pursue.

Toosii, a 27-year-old and one of the 2021 XXL Freshman alumni, joined LSU as a walk-on wide receiver back in March. Kiffin said he showed enough on the practice field to make coaches take notice, but an endorsement arrangement complicated the arrangement.

“There was limitations on what he can make and do,” Kiffin said. “I think he signed with like one of the, I don’t know what they’re called, the gambling company thing where you do the commercials for him and stuff, and that shouldn’t work in the NCAA, you know.”

The coach was explicit that the issue was not some manufactured publicity play. “I really enjoyed being around him. It wasn’t a stunt at all,” Kiffin said. “He really wanted to see if he could do it.”

Under current NCAA name, image and likeness rules, college athletes can monetize their profiles through endorsements, but there remain clear prohibitions on promoting gambling, alcohol, or tobacco. Kiffin’s description suggests the reported partnership crossed that line, leaving Toosii unable to remain on the roster.

Toosii’s arrival in March was an odd fit that drew attention beyond Baton Rouge: a charting rapper turning up on a collegiate practice field. For a brief window, he seemed to be testing whether elite athleticism and a touring music career could coexist. Kiffin’s tone when discussing him made room for that possibility, while also underscoring the practical limits of NCAA compliance.

XXL has reached out to Toosii’s rep for comment.

Watch LSU Football Coach Lane Kiffin Explain Why Toosii Left the Team at the 21-Minute Mark

Elsewhere, the story lands as another flashpoint in conversations about how college programs accommodate high-profile names and the ways NIL deals are shaping rosters and recruiting. For now, what began as a high-visibility pairing between a rising hip-hop figure and a major football program has been curtailed by rules meant to keep collegiate endorsements within certain bounds.

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