Famous sportscaster and proud SU alumn Mike Tirico of NBC Sports wants everyone in the greater Syracuse Orange community to come together.
He's also asking the larger 'Cuse family to stop with all the toxicity on social media. Former Syracuse basketball general manager Alex Kline said similar things earlier this week.
In an interview on Monday on the ESPN Radio Syracuse program "Orange Nation," Tirico, who is vice chair of Syracuse University's board of trustees, said that he's confident that SU can be competitive in the growing name, image and likeness ("NIL") space, which is particularly important in today's college athletics climate.
When asked if the 'Cuse can hold its own in terms of NIL funds, Tirico emphatically stated, "D-mn right we can. Absolutely we can."
He added that it will take a "bunch of different things" to ensure this happens, while noting that he believes that his alma mater still resonates in New York and can work to further maximize its NIL efforts on and off campus.
Mike Tirico is bullish on the Syracuse Orange's future NIL prospects.
NIL, these days, entails schools paying their athletes directly (revenue-sharing that came with the multi-billion-dollar House settlement) along with third-party deals, facilitated through collectives or done via other means.
In his Monday interview, Tirico spoke a lot about Syracuse men's basketball, a program searching for a new head coach, assistant staff and general manager. Rumors are swirling regarding potential candidates, and one aspect of a head coaching search in this climate revolves around financial resources to (of course) pay the head coach and staff, but also pay the players.
Some national observers have suggested that in the 2025-26 season, the Orange's budget was around $8 million, or potentially a bit below that. The Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, the former long-time Syracuse basketball head coach, has said that the team is lacking in NIL funds and needs at least $10 million, if not more, to be successful moving forward.
Amid conversations about the 'Cuse head coaching search, there have been questions from some national experts as to whether Syracuse basketball has adequate NIL dollars to entice a high-quality replacement to come to the Hill and take over a squad that has produced two consecutive losing stanzas and hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2021.
Tirico acknowledges that over the past few seasons, Syracuse men's basketball hasn't inspired the fan base with its play, and "apathy" has set in. "We're spoiled," Tirico says, referring to a historically-significant program that has won more than 2,000 games and been to a Final Four in the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s, the 2000s and the 2010s.
A new SU chancellor and athletics director are in place, and Tirico has spoken glowingly of the next 'Cuse AD, Toledo athletics director Bryan Blair, who has a reputation for being a tremendous fundraiser. That could prove huge in Central New York as the search for a men's basketball head coach carries on - and will likely wrap up in the not-too-distant future, with the transfer portal opening for business on April 7.
Tirico, with these new Orange leaders set and a new SU hoops boss hired soon, says he's confident that Syracuse basketball can get back to the years of consistently winning at least 20 games and hearing its name regularly called on Selection Sunday, but he's also hopeful that the fan base will help. If the JMA Wireless Dome is more often rocking with 25,000 to 30,000 fans in attendance, that will help with corporate sponsorships, for one, and that will benefit Syracuse basketball and SU Athletics.
He's also imploring fans to pack the stands for Syracuse women's basketball encounters. The 'Cuse, led by head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, is dancing this March for the second occasion over the past three stanzas.
Tirico says the new chancellor, the new athletics director, the new Syracuse basketball head coach - and the rest of the SU family - have to come together to get things done. "The house isn't broken. We're doing a remodel," Tirico says.
He said it's imperative that everyone in the 'Cuse community help "make it (SU) great again." Tirico had a good point here; he said that when conference realignment inevitably strikes again in a monumental way down the road, the Syracuse Orange wants to be one of the brands that has a seat at the table.
Look, Tirico is supposed to pump up the 'Cuse. He's on Syracuse University's board. But that doesn't mean he's wrong. He said if people sit on social media and complain about stuff over and over again - "It's not attractive," Tirico says.
To Mike Tirico, it's personal, no doubt. Even as Orange men's basketball has struggled, and the same can be said of women's hoops and football in recent years, 'Cuse sports are still the best ticket in town, so to speak.
"There's more memories to make," he said.
Indeed, Mike. Indeed.