’This is a summer series in which I, Brian Stultz, examine questions for the Auburn athletic department and its teams entering the 2025-26 sports year. Today: how will the apparel deal with Nike benefit the Tigers?
It seemed inevitable that when Auburn’s apparel contract with Under Armour expired on July 1, 2025, Nike would take over outfitting the Tigers. Kevin Plank and his staff didn’t let go easy, though, constantly traveling to the Plains to meet with John Cohen, his staff and many of the coaches.
For years, coaches, led by Bruce Pearl, spoke about being behind the eight ball when it came to landing the top players in the country. And while Pearl has done one helluva job still getting those guys to play in the orange and blue, there were still feelings that recruiting would rise to yet another level once Phil Knight’s company was represented and the famous swoosh logo adorned on the Auburn jersey.
Not only do players in every sport relate to Nike — I’m 44, and the company has been at the forefront of sports apparel for as long as I can remember — but they also want to wear that gear. And it’s not just the jerseys, but the shoes. Oh yes, one of the biggest gripes from players and coaches was the shoes, some of which were so bad that they would hurt the feet of those wearing them.
While Under Armour certainly got that under wraps as much as they could, Nike was, first and foremost, a shoe company, and their technology is second to none.
But how much difference will being a Nike school make for Auburn other than the financial effect? One downside is that while the Tigers were once among the major schools for Under Armour, one of the reasons Plank tried so hard to win an extension on the contract, Auburn is now just one of the schools that wears the Nike logo. Not to say that Nike won’t pay a lot of attention to their new partner, but it will be interesting to see how attentive they are to what the Tigers need in terms of equipment and marketing.
We won’t see the total impact of the move for a while, especially not this upcoming sports year in which almost all of the teams’ rosters are already set. However, access to Nike camps and the ability to sell kids on the fact that if they come to Auburn, they will be part of the Nike brand will play a crucial role in recruiting wars to come. It’s not that Pearl, Hugh Freeze and Butch Thompson needed help in the recruiting field. All three have demonstrated their ability to bring talent to the Plains with top-10 classes and quality players, but every edge is needed to continue winning these battles.
Granted, those three already had that edge in the past offseason, as they knew the Under Armour contract was done by the time they retook the field or court.
It was a massive move by John Cohen to get this deal done when there was so much pressure on Auburn to transition to Nike. During his time in charge at Mississippi State, the Bulldogs were an Adidas school, but Cohen knows how important Nike means to his student-athletes, coaches and staff at Auburn.
Time will tell how this partnership works out, but right now, it is a massive moment in Auburn athletics. It should give the Tigers a step up in numerous ways
But in two weeks, Auburn will have a deal with a new apparel company since joining Under Armour in 2026. And for all the essential reasons: recruiting, player approval and being associated with one of the largest brands in the world.
