Nike is already planning some pretty cool changes for South Carolina’s jerseys
Just after South Carolina’s Board of Trustees gave the official approval on South Carolina’s 10-year contract with Nike, athletic director Jeremiah Donati reached down and pulled out a trio of Gamecock football jerseys.
On garnet. One black. One white.
All with that signature swoosh.
It was hard to not get fired up about the possibilities of all the swag Nike is going to outfit South Carolina with when the partnership begins on July 1, 2026. All the new uniform combos. The new shoes. New jerseys. New everything.
In the contract terms sheet outlining the deal, Nike offered a glimpse into what South Carolina fans should expect in the near future.
First off, there are numerous mentions about the women’s basketball team in the terms sheet, making it quite apparent that the success of Dawn Staley — a Nike ambassador — and her squad were quite appealing to Nike. And, yes, the A’ja Wilson collaboration is coming.
Nike said it will provide South Carolina women’s basketball with the Gamecock legend’s signature Nike shoes in specific South Carolina color combinations while exploring more A’ja-branded gear. Nike will also outfit the women’s basketball team in the same style uniform that it provided to the 2024 Team USA Olympic women’s basketball team.
And Nike said it would design at least four unique women’s basketball jerseys within the first four years of the deal.
Also, though it’s not written into the terms sheet, a University source said Nike gave South Carolina assurances that the men’s basketball program would get the same uniform closet given to every other Nike SEC school.
Naturally, the other program mentioned often in the terms sheet was the football program. Donati gave a little peek at some promo jerseys Nike provided — which may or not be an indication of what the Gamecocks’ uniforms will look like during the 2026 season.
In any case, Nike did say it will do a full redesign of at least three football jerseys by 2030. In addition to that, the Gamecocks will also receive an alternate uniform, “as part of an energy program including more than 15 elite college football programs during the first half of the term,” the document reads.
One can dream up a million ideas for a South Carolina Nike alternate uniform.
And then, of course, Gamecock football players will get access to the full gamut of Nike cleats, which are worn by 75% of NFL players.
Also, while the terms sheet only mentions the football and women’s basketball program, the Nike partnership is all-encompassing. Every Gamecocks sport will be decked out in Nike gear. Every South Carolina student-athlete will be wearing Nike everything.
The terms sheet is merely a snapshot of what is sure to be an entire overhaul.
