Mississippi State vs. Auburn
Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson (6), wide receiver D'haquille Williams (1) and linebacker Kris Frost (17) run onto the field before the Mississippi State game Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)
(JULIE BENNETT)
Auburn and Under Armour have extended their apparel partnership through June 2025.
Auburn's deal is worth $78.1 million over the next nine years at an average of $8.68 million per year, making it the third-largest apparel deal in the country, according to data compiled by AL.com.
The deal includes a base compensation worth $22.5 million, and a product and apparel total worth $40.5 million over the life of the deal. Auburn will also be provided $10 million in stock in the company, $4.5 million in royalties and $675,000 in marketing.
Auburn reached out to other apparel companies, but sided with its previous apparel provider, athletics director Jay Jacobs said. Auburn originally signed a 10-year deal with Under Armour in 2007. That contract was worth $36.5 million with an average total of $3.65 million per year.
Auburn's deal is the largest in the SEC. Notre Dame leads the way nationally at $9 million per year over the next 10 years in its newly-minted deal with Under Armour. Michigan is set to earn between $10.1 million and $10.9 million in its new deal with Nike over the next 15 years, according to reports.
The deal will cover all 21 sports at Auburn. Under Armour has signed deals with 13 schools across the country, including two of the top three lucrative deals in the country.
The deal does not include drastic changes to Auburn's uniforms or the possibility of alternate uniforms for the football team. The basketball team will continue to experiment with alternate looks.
"Our traditional uniform is well known and it is a classic looking uniform," Jacobs said. "... I think that our brand is strong and that we're very confident in who we are and what we look like every Saturday."
Auburn's current deal was set to expire in June 2016 and was recently restructured to total $5.85 million for the 2015-16 academic year.