AD Jeremiah Donati has message for Under Armour ahead of USC’s Nike rollout
.jpg "From August 2025: South Carolina leaders show off Nike-branded Gamecock football jerseys, from left: Thad Westbook, USC board chair; Jeremiah Donati, athletics director; and Michael Amiridis, school president.")
The South Carolina athletics department is eagerly anticipating its switch from Under Armour to Nike apparel for all of its sports teams.
The change happens July 1, and USC Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati talked recently about the switch and also the gratitude for Maryland-based Under Armour, which has been a partner with Gamecock athletics for the past 19 seasons.
“I want to thank Under Armour for its incredible partnership, a long-standing partnership,” Donati said at Friday’s USC Board of Trustees meeting. “They have been involved in a lot of huge iconic Gamecock moments, and I want to thank them for their longstanding partnership. Their CEO Kevin Plank made an effort to come to many different Gamecock events.
“But very excited about moving to July 1 and the transition to Nike. Our team has worked extremely hard on our go-to market strategy. Our student-athletes, our coaches, our staff and fans are really excited about this.”
It was recently announced that Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers, WR Nyck Harbor and Dylan Stewart all signed name, image and likeness deals with Nike.
There will be details in the coming days on how and where fans can buy the new Gamecock gear with the Nike swoosh on it, Donati said.
Business such as Gamecock Traditions placed its Nike order in October, and the store expects between $100,000 to $300,000 worth of gear (at cost) to arrive, which would help ensure they don’t run out of Nike gear on release day.
South Carolina’s previous agreement with Under Armour was a 10-year deal signed in 2016 that gave the Gamecocks $26.5 million in cash and $44.5 million in product.
Nike’s deal with South Carolina is a 10-year partnership that guarantees, among other things, South Carolina receiving $70 million in product and $5 million in cash, $2.5 million in supplemental product and 15% of net sales on all co-branded South Carolina-Nike gear.
USC football coach Shane Beamer told The State in May SEC spring meetings that the move to Nike will help in recruiting.
“A lot. A lot,” Beamer said. “They’re aware, and I think there’s a lot of excitement with recruits that we’re going to Nike. ... Nothing against Under Armour, but with the majority of recruits I talk to, Nike is a major selling point with them.”
The USC women’s basketball team also will benefit from the deal and their relationship with former Gamecock great A’ja Wilson, who has a sponsorship deal with the company.
Under Nike’s agreement with USC, the company will “provide USC basketball with Nike-branded Wilson signature sneakers (e.g., A’Two), including USC-specific colorways, to wear on court.” Nike will also “explore A’ja Wilson travel (gear) and other team gear for USC women’s basketball.”
Nike also will feature USC in “A’ja Wilson-related marketing.”
South Carolina is one of a handful of schools to recently switch from Under Armour to Nike, with others being Auburn and Utah. UA still has deals with Wisconsin, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Northwestern.
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
