Tanner thrilled with huge new Under Armour deal
South Carolina and Under Armour have extended their apparel agreement with a lucrative 10-year contract worth $71.5 million total. It also includes a $2 million signing bonus.
“Under Armour has been a great partner of Gamecock athletics for a long time,”athletics director Ray Tanner said in a statement. “This agreement will benefit our student-athletes in a variety of ways. Under Armour’s relentless pursuit of innovation, making athletics better through performance design, advances the mission of our program. Their financial commitment also helps provide the resources needed to help our student-athletes have a championship experience at Carolina. I am ecstatic that we are able to continue this partnership, being one of the first intercollegiate programs to align with Under Armour. We look forward to winning many championships together.”
Included in the total compensation is a package of rights fees amounting to $24.5 million that will be paid in yearly increments over the term of the contract. In addition, Under Armour will pay USC a baseball rights fee of $500,000 per year for the life of the contract.
The product allowance for outfitting the university's teams, coaches, and athletic department staff is worth a total of $44.5 million. That is also payable in yearly increments over the 10 year deal.
“The University of South Carolina has been one of our landmark partnerships within the NCAA and SEC,” said Ryan Kuehl, Vice President, Sports Marketing and Sponsorships, Under Armour. “The Gamecocks are a key part of our brand story and we look forward to continuing that story together as we provide world-class, innovative product to their student athletes and the entire Gamecock community.”
South Carolina's Board of Trustees granted approval during a meeting Friday afternoon at the new My Carolina Alumni Center.
Tanner said that the two sides started discussing a new deal when he traveled to Under Armour's Baltimore headquarters in January of 2015.
"I'm very pleased with where we are with Under Armour and the relationship with Kevin Plank and his staff," Tanner said. "It is more, to me, than just having a deal with a company that we partnered with. We've been with them for quite a while and his staff, we feel like, are part of our family. To have an opportunity to move forward is tremendous."
The new deal places South Carolina in the Top 10 nationally among other apparel deals. According to USC, the deal will put USC seventh nationally and second in the SEC.
South Carolina's previous deal with the company was set to expire in July of this year. The new deal will expire on June 30, 2026.
The six-year deal was worth a total of $6.2 million. That deal, at the time, was also top 10 in the country and top four in the SEC.
South Carolina's football program has been partnered with Under Armour since 2007, but the 2011 contract put the entire athletic department under the umbrella for the first time.
Texas leads the way nationally with a record 15-year, $250 million contract with Nike, according to reports.
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