Jason Munz

Hattiesburg American

Southern Miss has found its new athletic apparel provider.

Adidas will become the sole outfitter of all 16 sports beginning in 2018, the school announced Tuesday. Specific financial terms of the deal, which runs through the 2024-2025 season, will not be available publicly because it was negotiated through the USM Athletic Foundation.

But, according to a source familiar with the negotiations and willing to speak on the condition of anonymity, Southern Miss’ agreement with Adidas will net “well north of $4 million” in product allocation. In addition, Adidas will allot a dollar amount “in the low- to- mid-six figures” for product activation (i.e. advertising, recruiting, etc.).

Southern Miss and Adidas also agreed to an unspecified incentive/bonus compensation figure for any athletic team that advances to the NCAA postseason.

“We will benefit by partnering with Adidas,” Golden Eagle athletic director Jon Gilbert told the Hattiesburg American Tuesday. “We talked to all the apparel companies but this one was the one that fit our needs the best. This is the first-ever apparel partnership for all sports at Southern Miss, which I think is a big deal.

“And the numbers I’m looking at for other schools, this deal will put us in the upper-third of all Group of 5 schools. So we’re in pretty good company once this deal shakes out.”

The Golden Eagles’ current apparel pact with Russell Athletics, signed in 2013 and worth $2.75 million, expires June 30, 2018. Southern Miss is Russell’s last remaining partner at the collegiate level, as it seeks to officially exit the NCAA apparel market.

The contract calls for Adidas to provide apparel only – not equipment.

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Southern Miss will become one of 14 athletic programs to link up with the global brand, joining East Carolina, Tulsa, Louisville, Miami, NC State, Kansas, Indiana, Nebraska, Rutgers, Arizona State, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Georgia Tech has also signed an agreement with Adidas to go into effect in 2018.

A number of current Southern Miss football commitments were pleased to hear the news of the school’s new agreement with Adidas.

“I love it,” Freeport (Florida) defensive end Shannon Carswell said. “Gives me another reason to be playing for them.”

Brookhaven offensive lineman Trace Clopton, who verbally committed to the Golden Eagles late last week, agreed.

“I WAS HYPEDDDDD when I found out!!!” Clopton said via text message. “Adidas is definitely the best in the game right now. I’m super excited for that!”

Hinds Community College wide receiver DeMichael Harris said he’s also a fan of Adidas apparel.

“I like the designs of the Adidas brand,” he said. “It will be interesting to see what Adidas does with the colors of USM. I’m excited about it.”

Tyler Junior College defensive back Denzel Washington also sees it as a positive development.

“That is amazing,” he said. “I got bored with seeing the ‘R’ on the jerseys.”

In June, Gilbert told the Hattiesburg American his goal was to create uniform uniformity.

“Presently, everyone is Russell apparel with the exception of baseball, which is Under Armour. Women’s basketball is Nike, both apparel and shoes. Men’s basketball is Russell apparel with Adidas shoes. Football and most other sports are wearing Nike shoes,” Gilbert said then.

More:USM will soon be in search of new athletic apparel provider

In September, an Adidas executive (James Gatto, director of global marketing) was reportedly named in a criminal complaint alleging he, sports agents, financial advisers and college coaches at multiple institutions (including Louisville, Arizona State, Auburn, Oklahoma State and USC) colluded to pay top recruits and their families large sums of money to persuade them to play for Adidas-sponsored schools and later sign endorsement deals with Adidas once they turned pro.