The Univ. of Notre Dame will "switch from wearing adidas for all its team sports to Under Armour when the current deal expires at the end of the school year," according to sources cited by Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. Terms of the deal, which is "expected to be signed in the very near future, are not known." Sources said that UA Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank flew to South Bend on Thursday to "meet with school officials." Notre Dame's deal with adidas began in '97, and the company in '05 "signed a 10-year deal that lasted through this school year." When Notre Dame signed the deal, it "was the top priority for adidas, but things changed" when adidas began providing shoes and apparel for the Univ. of Michigan in '08 (ESPN.com, 1/9). CSNCHICAGO.com's J.J. Stankevitz wrote given the "history, tradition and brand associated with Notre Dame's classic blue-and-gold uniforms, it's highly unlikely much about them will be altered." While UA has "created a number of controversial uniforms," it has "kept classic, conservative looks" for clients such as Auburn. Where fans can "expect a different look is with the design of Notre Dame's Shamrock Series uniforms, which Notre Dame has used as a recruiting tool by letting adidas create a one-off bold variation of the football team's look." UA likely will "have the same leeway in designing those Shamrock Series uniforms" (CSNCHICAGO.com, 1/9).
