Move aside, quarterbacks. How LSU's Angel Reese became SEC's brightest star | Toppmeyer

She modeled colorful bikinis for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. She rubbed elbows with Kim Kardashian. She cameoed in a music video with Latto and Cardi B.

The Angel Reese comet burns bright, fueled by LSU women’s basketball’s success, her on-court talents and her allure. She’s ascended to such heights, in fact, that she’s become the SEC’s most visible athlete.

That assessment is subjective, but in the aftermath of football stars like Bryce Young and Stetson Bennett IV exiting for the NFL, LSU’s women’s hoops star and NIL maven staked her place as the face of the SEC.

Consider the SEC’s 2023 quarterback lineup, a list including Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler and Mississippi State’s Will Rogers.

Some good players, to be sure, but none with the celebrity to match past SEC quarterbacks like Young, Tim Tebow, Cam Newton or Johnny Manziel.

Who needs Johnny Football when you’ve got the Bayou Barbie?

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Imagine asking a random someone in Miami, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver or Los Angeles if they know who Reese is, versus if they’re familiar with Jefferson? I’m confident more would know the LSU hoopster.

That’s partly a testament to the captivating brand of ball LSU played under legendary and flamboyant coach Kim Mulkey, en route to the program’s first national championship in April. Reese powered LSU as an All-America performer, a vocal leader and a captain.

The Tigers claimed their crown with a 102-point outburst in the ABC-televised national championship game against Iowa and its sharpshooter superstar Caitlin Clark. People who hadn’t watched women’s basketball in years tuned in. The game attracted 12.6 million viewers at its peak. Talented, charismatic players like Reese and Clark are elevating the sport’s popularity.

The NIL marketplace attracts eyeballs, and women athletes are among those seizing the chance to profit off their talents and celebrity.

LSU, in particular, is an NIL launchpad for women athletes.

NIL fearmongers warned women would be left in the dust of bidding wars, while football players gobbled up deals and dollars. In truth, women are cashing in, too.

Financial details of athlete endorsement deals are not made public, but On3 estimates Reese’s NIL valuation as the ninth-highest among college athletes, male or female, estimating her value at more than $1 million.

LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne’s valuation ranks No. 1 among college athletes.

Three LSU Tigers rank in the top five of On3’s NIL valuation of women’s basketball players: Reese, Flau’jae Johnson and transfer Hailey Van Lith.

“Across the board, whether it’s Shaquille O'Neal or Joe Burrow, and now we’re talking about Angel and Olivia Dunne, it’s always been that way – there’s some magic to LSU and to the fans and citizenry of how much they embrace it and how unique we are,” LSU athletics director Scott Woodward told me at the SEC spring meetings. “I think it sells – not only instate but nationwide.”

LSU brands its NIL efforts as NILSU.

More like NIL$$$U.

Archaic NCAA rules, though, did not permit O’Neal and Burrow to profit off their fame while college athletes.

The change occurred in 2021, when various state laws forced the NCAA to modernize and allow athletes to monetize their NIL.

Reese combined her talents, charisma, appearance and entrepreneurship to become an NIL tycoon. Her bevy of NIL deals include companies ranging from Coach to JanSport to TurboTax.

Naysayers who say NIL drives a wedge in the locker room must have missed LSU’s NCAA Tournament run. The Tigers exhibited strong chemistry, with Reese a rallying force behind a 34-win season. She brought her teammates into her NIL orbit, too, gifting each a Coach bag in February.

Reese’s combination of on-court skills and assertive personality makes her a gravitational force, and her photoshoot with SI Swimsuit epitomized the attitude she shows on court. In one SI photo, Reese wore a purple bikini that pays tribute to LSU while she stares into the camera and points to her ring finger – an homage to her in-your-face taunt at the close of LSU’s national championship triumph.

“I’m saying this almost glibly, but people love a winner – they just do,” Woodward said.

In fact, Reese’s championship celebration polarized sports fans and bloviators. In addition to pointing to her ring finger at the end of the championship, Reese mocked Clark’s “You Can’t See Me” gesture that the Iowa star flashed earlier in the tournament.

Debates fumed about whether Reese’s taunts were classless or whether criticizing her bravado was sexist or racist. The discourse reached “Saturday Night Live,” which parodied Reese’s taunts and her clapback to Jill Biden, after the First Lady initially had suggested both Iowa and LSU be invited to the White House, even though runners-up don’t typically receive an invitation.

The Bidens caved. Only LSU received the invite. Score one for the Bayou Barbie.

Much of the discussion surrounding Reese’s taunting, though, missed the bigger picture: Reese and her bravado are good for business, because the public can’t look away.

With each mention from the likes of Charles Barkley, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and The View’s Whoopi Goldberg, Reese’s fame grew. Her value increased.

Next thing you knew, she was posing for SI Swimsuit in Los Angeles – a powerful showcase of the heights she’d risen to and the confidence she has being in her own skin. Reese and LSU’s Dunne joined SI’s diverse model lineup, which ranged from movie star Megan Fox to 81-year-old cover model Martha Stewart.

"I had on thong bathing suits and I didn't think I was going to be comfortable, but (everyone) made me feel really comfortable," Reese, 21, told Sports Illustrated. "I work out a lot. I embrace my body and who I am and every mark on my body. I probably feel the sexiest in a bathing suit."

If you think thong bikinis are risqué, you haven’t been to a beach resort lately. They’re back in fashion. And while Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer and her fellow pearl-clutchers probably shuddered at seeing a talented college athlete posing in swimsuits for a popular magazine, I say: Rock it if you want.

Reese and her Tigers are rocking it. With Reese returning, LSU ranks among the favorites to win next season’s championship.

After LSU’s championship in April, Reese boldly declared, “The price just went up!”

Still, suitors lined up to do business with the SEC’s brightest star.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or access exclusive columns via the SEC Unfiltered.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: How LSU's Angel Reese became a star, from SI Swimsuit to Cardi B.