The Texas Tech Red Raiders are entering into a 10-year deal with sports apparel titan Adidas to become the team’s new footwear, uniform, apparel and accessory partner. It officially ends Under Armour’s almost two-decade-long run with the athletic program.
The deal also includes three-time Super Bowl champion, Texas Tech alum and Tyler native Patrick Mahomes. His stylized gladiator logo will be on home, away and alternate football uniforms as well as a new Patrick Mahomes-themed alternate uniform.
Texas Tech declined to disclose exactly how much the decade-long deal with Adidas is worth, but it’s a 107% increase in the team’s average cash annual value than its previous deal with Under Armour. Between 2020 and 2024, Under Armour paid Texas Tech approximately $12.9 million, according to the Sports Business Journal.
It started two years ago when Kirby Hocutt, athletic director for Texas Tech, was attending a gala for Mahomes’ charity, the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation, in Hawaii. Hocutt was there to catch up with the team’s former star quarterback. But Mahomes laid the groundwork that day, Hocutt said.
“One of those things we talked about was the apparel business. He knew that our relationship with Under Armour was close to expiring and that we’d had preliminary discussions with Adidas,” he said. “It was just perfect timing. He mentioned growing his brand, specifically within the college game, and he told me ‘You know there’s only one university that’s going to be a part of that, right?’”
Texas Tech now becomes the first school to have Mahomes’ branding on its uniforms.
Mahomes has been telegraphing for some time now that Texas Tech and Adidas would come together for a partnership. Last October, Mahomes wore a Texas Tech shirt with ‘Adidas’ taped over where Under Armour’s branding would have been.
Mahomes, an Adidas athlete, has been largely credited by Texas Tech and Hocutt as one of the key reasons why the deal was made and he knows it. It’s all about pushing the university back into national relevance going forward, he said in a press statement.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for Texas Tech and I’m proud to have helped bring Red Raider Nation into the three-stripe fam,” said Patrick Mahomes. “Today is just the beginning of an incredible partnership with Adidas, so stay tuned for more to come this fall that we’re excited to be working on together.”
The deal also means that any Texas Tech athlete in any sport is eligible to join Adidas’ affiliate program, which could help notch the university’s athletes a commission for promoting Adidas products. It’ll be a helpful recruiting tool going forward, Hocutt said.
“Patrick understands how the college landscape has evolved and changed. He’s able to connect and understand today’s college athlete, coach or any prospective student athlete,” he said. “There are real opportunities to engage in the NIL space through his brand and Adidas to grow awareness and exposure for for the Patrick’s brand while benefitting Texas Tech and our student athletes.”
The Big 12 is undergoing a lot of changes at the moment beyond losing the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas.
Between being the first conference to look into selling its own naming rights and its attempt to draw the eyes of private equity investments, it’s clear the conference and its teams are open for business if the opportunity is right.
To Hocutt, he and Texas Tech knew it couldn’t afford to lose out on the prominence Adidas has internationally, he said.
“This is a once in a generation opportunity to be able to align with a global apparel partner, but also with one of the world’s most talented and famous student athletes who is a Texas Tech Red Raider,” he said. “The opportunity to do those two things was just too appealing to to not explore and to pursue.”
The changes have gone into effect today as official Texas Tech apparel sold online will become Adidas-branded. Meanwhile, the uniform changes will be seen for this upcoming college football season.
Texas Tech is still looking into how it can incorporate Mahomes’ branding into its other sports. But for now, the deal will help place the team on the right trajectory as one of the Big 12′s best teams and a hopeful national powerhouse in the coming years, Hocutt said.
“We’re very focused on how we generate new lines of revenue, how we continue to grow our investment into our athletic teams and programs, and that’s all focused on competing on the national stage,” he said. “We’re not going to take a backseat to anyone and we expect to compete for championships. Anything that allows us to further strengthen that position is something that we’re going to explore aggressively.”