Notre Dame Football: Irish to Extend Under Armour Contract 10 Years

If the various stories circulating the internet, particularly on social media prove to be accurate, Notre Dame is set to extend their apparel contract with Under Armour for the next 10 years. In return, the Irish would receive 10 million per year in cash and gear each year, making this one of if not the richest deals of this kind in college football next to Texas and Ohio State‘s deals with Nike.

What does this deal mean for Notre Dame’s future? What does it mean for Under Armour as a company moving forward? What extra perks will the Irish receive this time around in lieu of stock options? Is this Jack Swarbrick’s final big win as he departs Notre Dame or is there also a mega TV deal announcement yet to come?

Let’s examine 5 instant reactions I had to this breaking news.

Under Armour is on the decline overall, not rise as a brand. That’s what makes Notre Dame’s 10-year commitment to them a bit surprising. Under Armour is already divesting from the uniform game and now only clothes a handful of teams besides Notre Dame.

What happens if Under Armour has deep financial issues? Needs to rebrand or sell? Certainly, Notre Dame’s legal team has thoroughly examined these concerns, it’s just hard for me to ignore the divergence between the trend of the company and Irish buy-in.

Regardless of what you may think about Under Armour as a brand, or their styles or pricing models, money talks. This deal will reportedly place Notre Dame in the top 3 nationally alongside Texas and Ohio State who work with Nike.

Even if the rumors are true that Swarbrick has family that works at Under Armour, he deserves credit for landing Notre Dame a deal worth this much money. This deal’s cash value highlights the Irish’s brand name following and worth and it’s great to see these things be upheld.

One thing that I can’t for the life of me comprehend, is how Under Armour doesn’t make Marcus Freeman’s apparel available for sale often enough or quick enough. This seems like a huge missed opportunity and it frustrates fans that they cannot purchase the hottest Notre Dame gear.

For a small consulting fee, I’d love to spend some time with Under Armour execs and provide some ideas. Seasonal clothing releases featuring “Freeman’s Coach’s Collection” or “The Coach’s Corner” are easy slam-dunk ideas to promote new merchandise.

During the last contract negotiation set, Notre Dame received many millions of dollars worth of Under Armour stock shares which have since plummeted in value. This time around I’d like to see some money from Under Armour linked to Notre Dame NIL if perfectly legal.

Let the top Irish players promote the brand and try to appeal to a younger generation who may tend to gravitate more naturally to Nike or Jordan brands. I’m all for thinking out of the box with creative new ideas to help Notre Dame stand out in the modern football landscape without sacrificing its values.

With the apparel deal seemingly in place, the next shoe to drop, so to speak, will be Notre Dame’s announcement of a new TV contract. Quite frankly, if the hiring of Pete Bevacqua, an NBC Sports Exec doesn’t lead to a sweetheart deal, I’ll be bitterly disappointed.

If Swarbrick was able to lineup a top-paying apparel deal and a TV revenue contract that is commensurate with Big 10 and SEC playouts on his way off into retirement, it’d be a heck of a strong exit. The world of college football is changing fast, it’s incumbent on the Notre Dame brass to ensure the Irish stay competitive in all areas, including these off-field but impactful negotiations.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire