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.
Sorry if I missed it but...can someone explain what Miami is allowed to with that money? Staff salaries, better facilities - I assume that. But can it pay players?
there is most favored nation with ACC and in state of florida- if they get bumped, we get bumped.
but certainly sec and big ten team will surpass, thats what always happens in this area, - its the deal of the moment- but at least we have escalators in this one now
Most favored nation clause that looks at UNC/UF/FSU/Clemson... Okay but does UNC/UF even count on that given they're jordan brand? Also UNC/Clemson may not even matter given their contract expires AFTER the ACC is likely to already be dead (or us gone min) anyways... And FSUs expires 2 yrs after ours, so they're gunna re-up with Nike but given the state of their program, how likely is it they'd get even what we got anyways?....
That Seems like the type of thing that feels like it means something but doesn't actually.... Had it been most favored in a bigger pond, maybe it would. Or most favored IN THE CONFERENCE we are member of, rather than naming the ACC explicitly....
