Brian Manzullo

Detroit Free Press

Michigan football will begin the Jumpman era with Air Jordan himself attending the team's 2016 season opener.

Michael Jordan is set to be the honorary captain when the Wolverines host Hawaii on Sept. 3 at Michigan Stadium, coach Jim Harbaugh said today on "The Rich Eisen Show."

That's the day Michigan debuts its new Jumpman uniforms after U-M signed an 11-year, $127.12-million deal with Nike earlier this year to become its official apparel provider, with the option to extend the deal four more years for up to $173.8 million for the duration of the deal.

Michigan becomes the first college football team to play under the Jumpman brand, owned by Nike to promote Jordan-related merchandise. Jordan personally welcomed the Wolverines in a Twitter video post last August, when the collaboration was first announced.

Harbaugh also told Eisen, a Michigan alum, that he'd like Eisen to be the honorary captain for Week 2, Sept. 10 against Central Florida -- and mentioned that he had extended invitations to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and First Lady Michelle Obama to be honorary captains at some point during the season. Harbaugh didn't expound on those plans or say whether he was joking.

The Michigan-Nike deal could have far-reaching effects for the Wolverines -- not just in terms of pushing their brand, but in recruiting.

"It's the idea of being cool, of being the buzz king of apparel in college football," wrote Ari Wasserman of cleveland.com last August. "These aren't just shoes and Jordan isn't just a logo. There's a cult following, a love for acquiring and collecting those shoes.

"Jordan is king of apparel, and that's what makes what Michigan did so cool. That's going to be a major selling point as the Wolverines continue to try and stack their roster in pursuit of catching Ohio State."

Note: Speaking of Harbaugh, he caught up with an old friend Thursday at Disneyland: Television show host Jerry Springer.

Kind of random, sure, but this is Harbaugh we're talking about.

Contact Brian Manzullo: bmanzullo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianManzullo.

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