Miami athletics returns to Nike in record-setting deal

Sebastian Font
3 min read
Originally from The Miami Hurricane

Miami athletics has returned to Nike as the program’s apparel sponsor, agreeing to a lucrative 10-year contract worth more than $200 million.

Nike was the apparel sponsor of the Hurricanes from 1987-2015, before the University made an unprecedented decision to sign with Adidas.

Now, Miami is back wearing the iconic swoosh.

Miami found themselves in a strong negotiating position following its national championship appearance, also coming off the footsteps of other premier programs signing apparel deals.

Adidas put pen to paper with Penn State on July 1, in a 10-year, $300 million dollar deal, and agreed to a 10-year, $100 million deal with the University of Tennessee the next day.

With the bar set high, UM went into negotiations with the upper hand and found that Adidas was unwilling to match Nike’s offer according to reports.

The deal marks a role reversal from when Miami was last in apparel negotiations 12 years ago. Nike was unwilling to match Adidas’ offer in 2015, leading to the longstanding Adidas partnership the University had until now.

The offer reportedly puts Miami as the second-highest collegiate investment from Nike, just behind Oregon, where the apparel giant was founded.

UM was in the midst of a 12-year deal partnership with Adidas, set to expire in 2027. The agreement was the longest-standing collegiate partnership in Adidas history — also the first all-sport apparel partnership the company had with a top program.

Adidas had spent the last decade investing in South Florida sports, from high school all the way to Universities.

South Florida talents such as Malachi Toney, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Miami recruits A’mir Sears and Nick Lennear all signed with the three stripes within the last year.

In 2025, Adidas signed a five-year, $13.5 million deal to outfit all 41 of Miami-Dade County High Schools’ athletics uniforms, cementing itself as the leading athletic apparel company in the greater Miami area.

But while UM and Adidas have been great partners for more than a decade, UM and Nike have historic ties.

Miami’s original partnership with Nike marked the first all-sports apparel contract in collegiate history, and continued for four of UM’s national titles in football (1987, 1989, 1999, 2001) and two in baseball (1999, 2001).

The Hurricanes join South Carolina as Power Four programs to sign with Nike in the past year, with the decision set to take effect when Adidas’ deal expires next July ahead of the 2027 athletic season.

 

Comments (19)

I KEPT NAMES OF EVERYONE ON THIS SITE THAT DEFENDED ADIDAS FOR 12 YEARS
Defended what? That Miami should ALWAYS take the best deal? Adidas didn’t have the best deal this time, failed to match and lost a big property as a result. That’s called business and if more of our fans actually understood that, we wouldn’t have people crowing today. Nike finally did the right thing and will reap the rewards.
 
Defended what? That Miami should ALWAYS take the best deal? Adidas didn’t have the best deal this time, failed to match and lost a big property as a result. That’s called business and if more of our fans actually understood that, we wouldn’t have people crowing today. Nike finally did the right thing and will reap the rewards.
SHUT UP

WE NEVER HAD THE BEST DEAL

WE CAME OUT IN FEATHERS AND HAD LOUISVILLE GETTING PAYED MORE THAN US WITHIN 24 MONTHS

WE BACK NOW

YOU PUNK COME SEE ME
 
Whaaat……?!!! Hope Nike doesn’t mess with our unis. Oregon went from ducks to quacks in no time with their unis.
 
Players have deals with Adidas but Miami is going back to Nike? How is that going to work?
 
What’s record setting about it ? Didn’t pedo st sign a 300 million dollar deal?
 
Damnnn, shout out to the posters that were adamant on this happening
 
The only time I *****ed about Nike was because of those hideous uniforms in 2014.
 
Players have deals with Adidas but Miami is going back to Nike? How is that going to work?
They wear it when not on the field in an official Miami athletic function…

You do realize athletes in the pros have deals with under armor, adidas, etc… yet when it comes to work they put on the brand they work for
 
Players have deals with Adidas but Miami is going back to Nike? How is that going to work?
Players have plenty of their own apparel deal s in history of sports and wear what the team apparel deal is.. Players having personal deals is how real NIL works, they still cash those checks
 
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