Last updated: November 2, 2026
Under Armour NIL deals now run on two separate tracks: school apparel contracts that can steer money toward athlete NIL, and personal agreements the brand signs with individual athletes. This update adds Wisconsin’s 2025 extension and South Carolina’s move to Nike, and trims claims we could not verify.
Quick summary
- Wisconsin extended its Under Armour partnership for 10 years in November 2025, and the deal includes investment in the school’s NIL platform.
- Personal Under Armour NIL deals, like MiLaysia Fulwiley’s Curry Brand agreement, belong to the athlete, not the school.
- South Carolina, an Under Armour school since 2007, moved to Nike starting in 2026-27.
- A school’s apparel contract does not decide, limit or guarantee an athlete’s own brand deals.
How Under Armour NIL deals work at the school level
A traditional apparel contract pays a university in cash and product. The school’s teams wear the brand, and the money goes to the athletic department. Athletes wear the logo but are not parties to the contract.
That model is shifting. On November 24, 2025, Wisconsin announced a 10-year extension with Under Armour. Under Armour will keep outfitting all 23 of Wisconsin’s Division I teams, and the school said the brand is investing in its “already robust name, image, and likeness platform.” Local coverage described the extension as adding NIL funding for Badgers athletes.
The important detail is who controls the money. When an apparel deal includes NIL funding, the school and the brand decide how much goes to athletes each year and which teams and athletes take part. An athlete does not get a share simply by being on the roster.
Where this fits with other school deals
Institutional sponsorship money and individual NIL have usually been kept apart. The same split applies to jersey patches, which we track in College Jersey Patch Deals 2026. NIL language inside an apparel contract is one of the first places the two meet.
Revenue sharing is a separate stream again. Division I schools that opt in can share up to $20.5M with athletes in 2025-26, rising to $21.58M in 2026-27. Division II and JUCO schools have no revenue sharing. Apparel NIL funding, where it exists, sits outside that cap structure and depends on each contract.
Personal Under Armour NIL deals with athletes
Under Armour also signs athletes directly. These agreements are between the brand and the athlete, and the school is not a party.
MiLaysia Fulwiley is the clearest example. In March 2024, while she was a guard at South Carolina, she signed a multiyear NIL deal with Under Armour and Curry Brand. The terms included wearing Curry Brand footwear on court, serving as a brand ambassador and working with the Curry Brand team on player exclusives. She transferred to LSU in April 2025.
Under Armour has also reached into high school. Quarterback Ryder Lyons announced an Under Armour NIL partnership before his senior season in California in 2025. He later signed with BYU and was named California Gatorade Player of the Year. You can follow the Cougars on the BYU football page.
Deals like these tend to reward reach as well as performance. A large social following gives a brand an audience from day one, which is one reason high-profile prospects sign before they ever play a college snap.
School contracts change, athlete deals can outlast them
Apparel contracts end. South Carolina had worn Under Armour since 2007, and in August 2025 its trustees approved a switch to Nike, with Nike branding across Gamecocks athletics beginning in 2026-27.
That change does not touch a personal agreement. An athlete’s Under Armour NIL deals are signed with the athlete, so they are not tied to the school’s apparel provider. A school can switch brands, and an athlete can transfer, without either event automatically ending the athlete’s own contract. Day-to-day details, such as what shoes an athlete wears in games, can still depend on school and team rules.
The reverse is also true. Plenty of athletes at Under Armour schools sign with other brands entirely. The school’s provider and the athlete’s partner are two separate decisions made by different parties.
How Under Armour compares with Nike and adidas
All three major brands now combine school contracts with individual signings, but the structures differ. adidas runs an affiliate network across many partner schools, which we explain in How adidas Actually Signs Athletes. Nike’s college roster is tracked in our Nike Blue Ribbon Elite Tracker.
Under Armour’s school roster is smaller than Nike’s or adidas’s, which makes each contract more visible. Wisconsin’s extension, with NIL language built in, is a sign of where apparel deals in the Big Ten and elsewhere may be heading.
FAQ
Do athletes at Under Armour schools get paid by Under Armour?
Not automatically. The apparel contract is between the brand and the university. Some contracts, like Wisconsin’s extension, include NIL funding, but the school and the brand decide how it is used.
Can an athlete at an Under Armour school sign with Nike or adidas?
Yes. A personal NIL deal is separate from the school’s apparel contract, although team rules can still govern what is worn in competition.
What happens to Under Armour NIL deals when an athlete transfers?
A personal deal is signed with the athlete, not the school, so a transfer does not end it on its own. The contract’s own terms control what happens next.
Which schools wear Under Armour?
Wisconsin is among the brand’s major partners after its 2025 extension. South Carolina moved from Under Armour to Nike starting in 2026-27.
Follow College Athletes on RallyFuel
Track Badgers NIL activity on the Wisconsin page and the Wisconsin football page, or follow the South Carolina women’s basketball roster. Browse athlete profiles, see where programs rank on the RallyFuel NIL Score leaderboard, and make free predictions on upcoming games.
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