We spend quite a bit of time complaining about the Syracuse Orange’s football uniforms around here, while most of SU’s other sports are fine. Some of that falls at the feet of Syracuse to make things better, but most of the onus truly lies with Nike, the athletic department’s official outfitter.
There are no new uniforms for Syracuse this year, in the final season of its current contract. So thankfully, that means we won’t be introducing any hideous new options to compete with Notre Dame’s horrific jersey selections. But it also means we’re stuck in what we have... for now.
That could all change soon, though, as Syracuse.com covered on Thursday. Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack teased that news is coming soon on the Orange’s new endorsement deal, which is likely to be more lucrative than the current one. Given the school’s long-term ties with Nike (and Jim Boeheim’s preference for the company), one would think they’re the front-runners. But options like Under Armour and maybe Puma — assuming Adidas is sitting this one out given their current issues with college sports — are also real contenders.
Despite the men’s basketball team’s prominence, the rest of SU sports have largely seemed like an afterthought for Nike of late (see them giving Illinois better football uniforms than us twice now). Any new deal should be prioritizing a commitment to all teams under the Orange umbrella, and hopefully net us a hell of a lot more money. Rutgers recently signed with Adidas for six years, $10 million. But other schools have netted significantly more.
The rest of your Syracuse-related links below:
Syracuse’s contract with Nike ends this year, and a decision sounds close (Syracuse.com)
At that time Wildhack said that Syracuse had received interest from both Under Armour and Adidas, but that he was inclined to negotiate with Nike first because the shoe company had been a good partner. For Syracuse, the ability to sell the the right to dress its athletes comes at an interesting time, with shoe companies offering record amounts of money in recent years.
Can Joe Girard continue fairy-tale basketball career in big pond of D-I hoops? (Syracuse.com)
Glens Falls athletic director Chip Corlew talked with coach Tony Hamill about the pros and cons of placing an eighth-grader on the varsity. Was Joe ready emotionally? How would the seniors mesh with the budding star? ”We didn’t want to rush him if he didn’t need to be rushed,’’ Corlew said. “We knew it was the right thing.’’
Syracuse football has nowhere to go but up (AP)
“This is the first time I’ve ever had a Year 3 anywhere,” said Babers, whose first two head coaching jobs were two-year stints at Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green. “I think everybody’s headed in the right direction. I think there’s more of our type of guys (here) than before and I think it’s going to pay off for us in the long run.”
The recruiting rules (State of the U)
In this series, we’ll take a look at the things teams across the country do to build their rosters, and give you the guidelines for recruiting success. For every team, and for every recruiting analyst, there are different ideas about what specific things matter more than others. But in general, there are some trends and moves that can be seen from team to team and year to year, regardless of level.
The RPO was born in high school and took over college. Now it’s the NFL’s favorite play. (Washington Post)
The RPO was becoming an instant craze in the NFL, but Babers, now the head coach at Syracuse, had first seen and used it more than a decade ago, as an assistant at Baylor. “The first thing is like, ‘They’re running our plays!’” Babers said this month in a phone conversation, bursting into laughter. “The really cool thing about football is, once you put it on tape, it’s everybody’s play.”
Syracuse football DE Zach Morton to miss 3 to 4 months after knee surgery (Syracuse.com)
ACC men’s soccer preview: Tiers of contention (The Heights)
Syracuse football thin heading into 2nd scrimmage of camp (Syracuse.com)
Syracuse shut out 1-0 by LaSalle in season opener (Daily Orange)
College football win totals for 2018 (The Power Rank)
Re-ranking the 2014 recruiting class (College Basketball Talk)