The Syracuse basketball fan base is re-energized in the wake of former 'Cuse legendary guard Gerry McNamara being named as the program's head coach last month.
As McNamara and his assistants mine the transfer portal and rely on other recruiting channels to construct their 2026-27 roster, SU fans continue to ask me how they can donate to help support the team's budget.
By extension, I keep asking officials with Syracuse Athletics for more information in this regard, and they don't respond. In the past, an SU Athletics spokesperson has told me to direct fans to Syracuse's $50 million fundraising campaign known as Champion ’CUSE.
Lately, a grassroots campaign launched, called the Back G-Mac Challenge, that could raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a Syracuse.com report. But funds from this campaign will not be used to provide 'Cuse hoops players with name, image and likeness ("NIL") deals.
More needs to happen to capitalize on McNamara's momentum in the early stages of his tenure as the Orange's head coach, especially from an NIL perspective. Reports suggest that Syracuse basketball is eyeing a 2026-27 budget of around $10 million.
Syracuse basketball must have a collective - and soon.
SU's roster budget will entail two key components, one being direct revenue-sharing and the other being third-party NIL agreements facilitated through individuals, businesses or a collective.
As a result of last summer's multi-billion-dollar House antitrust settlement, schools can share up to $20.5 million with their athletes in the 2025-26 sports season. That number is expected to go up in 2026-27, but there's still a "cap," so to speak.
Plus, most schools, including Syracuse, share a large portion of their revenue with football players, followed by men's basketball and women's hoops. For SU basketball to get to $10 million for its roster (if not more than that), players will need to have their rev-share supplemented by third-party NIL deals, which must be approved by the College Sports Commission's clearinghouse, NIL Go.
Syracuse.com has reported that SU basketball booster Vinny Lobdell is putting together a group that has committed to raise between $4 million and $5 million to support the team's 2026-27 roster budget.
That's awesome, but the 'Cuse hoops program needs that sort of third-party NIL commitment season after season to remain competitive within the Atlantic Coast Conference and on a national scale.
At many schools, there is a collective in operation to facilitate these third-party NIL deals. SU had such a collective in Orange United, but it closed up shop last fall. Since that time, I've repeatedly asked Syracuse Athletics what SU's third-party NIL strategy is, with no response.
To be fair, McNamara just came on board, as did Syracuse's new athletics director, Bryan Blair. Additionally, rumors are flying around that a new collective may be announced soon that could support 'Cuse sports, including the basketball teams.
Syracuse football players, from a third-party NIL perspective, are supported by an entity known as SU Football NIL. It's entirely possible that SU Football NIL could expand beyond football to focus on other 'Cuse sports.
Lobdell's efforts are wonderful, but it would behoove SU Athletics to have a formal collective in place to focus on Syracuse men's and women's basketball, among other SU sports. If Syracuse Athletics isn't talking to me because it is announcing something in this regard soon, that's completely understandable.
However, time is of the essence. Fans want to know how they can help out in the NIL space. The buzz surrounding Gerry McNamara and Syracuse basketball is palpable. A collective focused on Orange hoops is needed amid the current landscape in college sports, where money rules the roost.