Notre Dame has reportedly landed the richest apparel deal in college football.
According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the prestigious independent program signed a new 10-year deal with Under Armour worth more than $10 million annually. Under Armour “won a bidding war” against Nike and Adidas to retain Notre Dame beyond the final year of its previous contract from 2014.
Many fans who seemingly don’t like Under Armour’s apparel hoped Notre Dame aligned with a new merchandiser.
“Stunned that UA outbid adidas and Nike,” radio host Ethan Moore wrote.
Stunned that UA outbid adidas and Nike. https://t.co/HsnngY8feT
— Ethan Moore (@_EthanMoore) July 31, 2023
“Not a fan,” a Notre Dame fan account said. “It gets ND the most money, but the UA brand isn’t what it once was.”
ND re-signing with Under Armour. Not a fan. It gets ND the most money, but the UA brand isn’t what it once was.
UA apparel sucks. The shoes are proven to cause more lower leg and foot injury comparatively
Thanks Jack, for showing how unserious you are about the student athletes. https://t.co/htBxCe1JES— Clutch Sports: Notre Dame (@ClutchSportsND) August 1, 2023
“I’m more disappointed in this than I should be as a functioning adult,” another fan wrote.
I’m more disappointed in this than I should be as a functioning adult 😂😂😂 https://t.co/h9hGrocuhl
— Ben Troy (@drbtroy) July 31, 2023
“Another season where I won’t buy any new ND apparel,” a fan declared. “Terrible decision.”
Another season where I won’t buy any new ND apparel. Terrible decision @NotreDameAD https://t.co/fmx8Te1DQY
— Heartbreak Prince 👑 (@StickaMANIA) August 1, 2023
While Under Armour still works with Auburn and Wisconsin among other prominent schools, it also loosened its footprint on college apparel by ending arrangements with UCLA, Cincinnati, Cal, and Hawaii. Yet the company will keep its biggest client for another decade.
Per Dellegner, Ohio State, Michigan, and Texas are believed to have deals with Nike within the range of $8-10 million. Adidas also has lucrative agreements with Louisville, Kansas, and Nebraska.