The past 24+ hours have been nothing short of gruesome for SU Athletics. After Jesse Edwards’ intentions to test the transfer portal waters were made public, a bombshell was dropped regarding Adam Weitsman.
It may not be the end all be all, but right now Syracuse’s NIL prospects are looking bleak. Weitsman’s support was something that gave the Orange a leg up over rival schools, but now that that is gone, John Wildhack needs to find another strategy and find it fast. You can get an NIL deal centered around medium cups of hot chocolate at pretty much any school in the country. The same cannot be said for something like Weitsman money. Now that that asset is out the door, Syracuse has been cast into a wide sea of options, with no set direction. Let’s be honest, what has SU done NIL-wise other than use Weitsman?
The key is finding something that sets Syracuse apart from other Power Five schools. If you’re a high-profile football recruit and SU is offering the same NIL assets that Clemson is, that recruit is likely going to pick the Tigers at minimum 95% of the time. Recruiting against the belly of the beast was already tough enough, without Weitsman it’s only going to get tougher.
So now we’re sitting here wondering, what is going to set Syracuse apart from the rest? It could involve working with the State Fair in the summer to promote the Athletics program, Destiny USA Mall could be an excellent resource, maybe a larger partnership with the Syracuse Crunch or Mets. If it sounds like we’re spitballing here, it’s because we are. The Central New York area has plenty of assets Wildhack and the rest of his brass could form relationships with, the question is how will Wildhack utilize them to his program’s advantage?
College athletics has changed and is only continuing to change as NIL’s mark on the NCAA grows more. It’s hard to find it coincidental that noted NIL-hater Jim Boeheim’s time as coach ended as it was continuing to grow. Plain and simple, Syracuse administration has not adapted fittingly yet, and it just bit them in the butt big time. Now we’re left wondering what the plan is since SU’s biggest NIL asset is gone.
