Inside The Huskies

Rome Odunze's Success Leads to Multiple NIL Deals for UW Receiver

A trading-card company is among those rewarding the Husky pass-catcher.

Roman Tomashoff

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As the Washington Huskies continue to gain more national attention, Rome Odunze has firmly established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the country. The junior from Las Vegas has signed multiple name, image and likeness deals, including an exclusive deal with trading card company Panini America.

Odunze joins his quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as the second Husky to reach agreement with Panini, which rolled out a "Panini Instant" card to commemorate his 7-catch, 180-yard performance at Michigan State.

“We were excited to work with Rome over the summer and even more excited for Rome to step on the field this season,” Jason Howarth, Panini America's senior vice president of marketing and athlete relations, said in a statement.

“Rome has all the things we look for in a Panini exclusive athlete and we are excited to see what he does the rest of the season. We know fans will be excited to see him in our Panini products.”

The trading card giant wasn't alone in highlighting Odunze. Whistle Sports featured him in an episode of its original series, "No Days Off," which spent a day following him through a workout in his hometown. 

While wide-receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard holds his entire group to lofty standards, Odunze took playing goals for himself and his quarterback a step further.

"I want to go for about 80 catches [this season] and I want to get my boy Mike Penix the Heisman," Odunze said in the episode. "He's going to do it himself, but I'm going to play a part in it."

Through four games, Odunze has contributed in a big way to Washington's offensive success. He has 27 catches through four games, is second in the nation in receiving yards with 544 and has scored 6 touchdowns — 4 receiving, 1 rushing and 1 on a punt return.

Just like Penix, Odunze and his fellow receivers Jalen McMillan and Ja'Lynn Polk each received an NIL deal with local clothing store Simply Seattle. When the quarterback's deal was announced, the company said every athlete who signed would receive one of the highest royalty rates in the industry.

"We want to make sure all of our NIL athletes earn their true value and believe this ground-breaking commitment demonstrates that," the news release said.

As the No. 7 Huskies' season plays out, these deals should continue to materialize as the NIL landscape establishes itself in the college football world. 

Kalen DeBoer's Husky coaching staff likely is going to utilize the transfer portal heavily in the coming year, with players such as Penix and Odunze moving on, and these agreements recently completed can be used as an example of what players can achieve at UW.

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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