Adidas releases Biletnikoff Award endorsement video for Washington's Rome Odunze

In October, Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze became one the first college football players to land an NIL deal with adidas when he and teammate Michael Penix Jr. joined the footwear icon. Now, the brand is kicking off his campaign for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver.

Adidas released a video Tuesday highlighting Odunze’s impressive 2023 season which has him in the running for the Biletnikoff. The video, narrated by Washington native and former SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne, makes Odunze’s case for the coveted award and walks through his work both on and off the field.

“When the ball is in the air and we rise up from our seats, we know who’s coming down with it: the best receiver in the country,” Mayne said in the video. “Rome wasn’t built in a day. But over 11 games, his candidacy has been.”

Odunze has been a top target for Penix and a key piece of Washington’s 11-0 record this season. He ranks fifth in the nation with 1,206 receiving yards and he currently sits tied for seventh in the FBS with 11 receiving touchdowns.

Last week, Odunze played a critical role in Washington’s victory over Oregon State with seven receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns as the Huskies gutted out the 22-20 win in Corvallis.

Odunze was one of 10 receivers named semi-finalists for the Biletnikoff Award this week, joining the likes of Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Georgia tight end Brock Bowers and LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers. The list will move down to three finalists on Nov. 28 and the winner will be announced during the College Football Awards show Dec. 8 on ESPN.

Rome Odunze has seen his NIL profile soar throughout his special season

In September, Rome Odunze made his one of his first major ventures into the NIL space when he signed an exclusive agreement with Panini America. As part of the deal, he will appear in Panini’s college and NFL products this fall, as well as select Panini marketing activations.

Then, a couple weeks later, he and Penix signed on with adidas as the iconic company grew its NIL brand. The footwear giant also previously signed a handful of basketball players as part of a nationwide ambassador program.

It’s all part of Odunze’s growing NIL profile. Entering Week 12’s Apple Cup game against Washington State, he has an On3 NIL Valuation of $644,000, which ranks No. 75 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation. That figure also ranks No. 53 in the On3 College Football NIL Rank.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.