The addition of Deion Sanders to Jackson State has been a program-altering move. He’s literally changing the look and feel of JSU’s brand.
Two years after becoming a Nike school, JSU is now following its new football coach to Under Armour. Troy Johnson, JSU’s Assistant AD for Internal Operations confirmed the move earlier this week.
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“We will be moving from the Nike brand over to Under Armour. It’s an exciting time in the department, an exciting time for the fan base of JSU and the Tiger faithful,” Johnson said on the “Tiger Talk With The 1400 Klub Podcast. “We’re looking forward to this newfound relationship with Jackson State and Under Armour.”
Johnson said the new deal will be a mix new and old.
“We plan to build on tradition as we blaze new trails. And that’s going to go along with our uniforms as well, too. We’re gonna have a classic JSU look that I think all the Tiger fans will be excited about. And then we’re going to dabble a little bit and kind of move towards some new things that’s trending with the student-athlete, to kind of bring us up to date to where we are in 2020 and 2021.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Football will be the launch point
“We will use football as the catapult to get us started,” Johnson said. “So come spring of 2021, football will be the first athletic program that will don the UA brand.”
A direct deal
The majority of HBCU apparel deals are facilities through third-party companies. Jackson State and Under Armour have a direct deal, according to Johnson.
“We’re going to go directly to Under Armour for all of our needs, and all of our wants. And I think that’s going to big. That’s going to help us cross all different kinds of platforms.