Syracuse's 3rd-party NIL strategy, amid Orange United closing, seems to be in flux

Syracuse Orange athletics director John Wildhack has said on several occasions that third-party name, image and likeness ("NIL") deals are important for the school to remain competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference and nationwide amid the new revenue-sharing era.

What the Orange's third-party NIL strategy is these days doesn't seem clear. That's because one of the three third-party organizations providing NIL support to Syracuse Orange athletes is no longer in business.

As I first reported earlier this week, Orange United has closed up shop due to its parent company, the Atlanta-based Student Athlete NIL ("SANIL"), shutting down immediately. In February, an announcement stated that the Las Vegas-based Blueprint Sports would acquire SANIL, but that transaction fell through, a source told me.

Here's the problem, at least until SU Athletics communicates with the public: What third-party NIL collective is now in existence to facilitate third-party NIL deals for Syracuse athletes in sports other than football?

Syracuse's third-party NIL strategy needs to be ironed out and clearly defined for fans.

Orange United launched in September of 2023 to support Syracuse players in every sport, although key sports for this commercial NIL collective included men's and women's basketball, the lacrosse prorams, and others.

SU Football NIL, by all accounts, has done an excellent job supporting Syracuse football players. Athletes Who Care, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, works with Syracuse Orange athletes "to provide meaningful charitable opportunities," according to its Web site.

To be fair, the news about Orange United just broke, so let's give SU Athletics some time to sort things out. However, on Thursday, I asked an SU Athletics spokesperson if I could briefly speak with Wildhack. That request wasn't responded to, and it's not the first time, if I'm being candid here. It is what it is. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to talk to Wildhack at some point.

On Friday, I asked a spokesperson, via e-mail, what Syracuse's third-party NIL strategy would be moving forward. In particular, I asked what third-party collective would support the Syracuse basketball, lacrosse and other programs beyond football? That e-mail hasn't been returned yet.

Here's what an SU Athletics spokesperson did share with me: Syracuse Athletics is working with Student Athlete NIL to send a direct communication to Orange United contributors. Also, for those fans who are looking to support 'Cuse sports teams, SU Athletics earlier this year launched a $50 million fundraising campaign, called Champion ’CUSE, which is focused on attracting and retaining top-flight athletes.

More specifically, the spokesperson says, the Athletics Competitive Excellence Fund within the fundraising campaign centers around the same mission as prior contributions to Orange United, that is, "maximize revenue-sharing opportunities for Syracuse University student-athletes and strengthen our teams’ ability to recruit, retain, and develop elite talent to build championship-caliber programs," per the SU Athletics Web site.

While I encourage my fellow 'Cuse fans to give to the Athletics Competitive Excellence Fund if they are able to, it would also seem that, more long-term, Syracuse Athletics will probably want to have a third-party NIL collective in place to support sports other than football.

On July 1, as the multi-billion dollar House settlement went into effect (or at least portions of it amid ongoing legal battles), Syracuse and other schools could start paying their athletes directly in the form of revenue-sharing. The Orange has said in the 2025-26 sports season, it will share the maximum amount allowed, which is approximately $20.5 million.

Syracuse Athletics hasn't given a specific breakdown for its revenue-sharing, but the department has said it will predominantly share revenue with its football and men's/women's basketball programs.

Wildhack, in early March, said that amid revenue-sharing on the horizon, third-party NIL deals would be "very, very important" to supplement the school's direct payments to its players, especially in football and men's basketball, to help keep Syracuse competitive in the ACC and nationwide related to recruiting efforts via the transfer portal and at the high school level.

To reiterate, Syracuse Orange fans have options about where they can donate to support NIL for 'Cuse players. But the school also has to sort out its third-party NIL strategy in sports other than football.

In recent months, I had heard rumblings about Orange United, and I wasn't entirely optimistic that the collective would remain in existence over the long term. I love my alma mater, but I think Syracuse could have handled this situation a little bit better, because fans have wondered for a while now what was going on with Orange United and, just as importantly, their contributions to that collective.

Also, I feel bad for Mark Hayes, who was the general manager of Orange United. Over the past two years, I chatted with him from time to time. He's a great guy. I wasn't able to reach him this week, but I do think he was put in a tough spot trying to make Orange United a success, with limited resources. I'll stay in touch with Mark and wish him well.

In the meantime, let's see what Syracuse Athletics communicates soon about its third-party NIL strategy.