Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) – When you think of Otto the Orange, you probably picture the cheerful mascot scootering around campus and hyping up Syracuse’s teams. But now, Otto has made history as the only college mascot with an NIL deal.
Otto the Orange and NIL Store have partnered as a part of the new 2025 Mascot Mania Jersey Collection. The famous orange is the first mascot ever to join the name, image, and likeness (NIL) era.
This partnership was announced in a press conference featuring Otto, a 2023 Mascot Hall of Fame inductee, along with Julie Walas, Otto’s coach and program manager. Walas was excited when the NIL Store reached out.
“The NIL Store approached us, and we thought this sounded so fun, unique, and novel. What a great press story this is. Just so fun and positive,” Walas said.
There are a number of iconic mascots across college athletics, but for SU, Otto is different. Walas spoke about how meaningful the Orange is to the Syracuse brand.
“So Otto is a huge recognizable brand for our campus. There’s the Block S and then there is Otto, and they’re on everything,” Walas said.
The beginnings of Otto’s NIL journey were pretty similar to any other athlete, working with the NIL Store to get a product line launched. Walas was an integral part of the process.
“He signed this NIL deal just like any other Syracuse athlete and any other athlete that participates in the NIL Store,” Walas said.
Where the money goes will be different for Otto compared to athletes who sign NIL deals. Usually, when an athlete signs an NIL, all the funds will go directly into their personal account, but this doesn’t work in this situation.
Otto is not portrayed by just one single person; a group of 10 or 11 students rotate the role..These students will not be the ones personally profiting. Instead, the money goes to the bank account that helps fund the Otto program. This includes getting Otto new fun props, scooters, and transporting Otto wherever they may need to go.
“No one is making millions on NIL merch deals, so it doesn’t change a lot, but it does provide stability for Otto. To know there is a couple thousand dollars coming into our bank account every year until NIL inevitably changes again,” Walas said.
Otto’s NIL deal caught the eyes of many across the nation, and even here on campus. That includes Dave Meluni, who teaches the NIL class in Falk College of Sport. Meluni shared his thoughts on the deal in an interview for Falk College. The NIL expert has high praise for the University.
“The process here is pretty simple. Trademarks and logos at schools traditionally run through their office of trademark licensing.
Since Otto is a registered trademark, it makes sense to allow the spirit program to receive revenue from Otto-only branded gear. It’s very smart by the Syracuse Office of Trademark Licensing,” Meluni said.
The partnership has paid dividends in just a week. The Otto collection accounted for 52% of Syracuse’s sales on the NIL Shop in just the first week, netting $500 in revenue. Otto the Orange would be the third-highest earner in the Syracuse system.
You can find the Otto the Orange collection in the NIL Store, including sweatshirts, jerseys, and T-shirts, available for purchase