Deion Sanders confirms move away from Under Armor to Nike, per social media

Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders famously said, “If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play good.” And now Sanders will be looking a little bit different than he usually does after a recent announcement.

Sanders had a longstanding partnership with Under Armor, even helping bring the apparel brand to his previous head coaching stop at Jackson State. But now that Sanders is the head coach at Colorado, he’s reunited with Nike, announcing his partnership with the brand via Instagram on Friday.

“’We Coming’ @nike #CoachPrime,” Sanders said on the post, posing with his signature Nike shoe from his playing days in the NFL.

The partnership makes a lot of sense, with Colorado being sponsored by Nike since 1995 and Sanders having a previous relationship with the brand, signing with Nike in 1992 when he was a player for the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves.

Sanders appeared in commercials for Nike and together they launched a signature shoe line for Primetime, but the two went their separate ways after Sanders expressed numerous frustration regarding the brand not compensating him enough, not funding his youth football leagues, and never meeting Nike co-founder and former CEO Phil Knight.

But now it’s clear that Sanders and Nike have turned over a new leaf, as the two will now look to work together in continuing to grow the Colorado football brand, which has significantly risen in exposure since Sanders’ arrival to the program last December.

“We welcome Deion Sanders back to the Nike family,” the company said in a statement.

Sanders had a longstanding relationship with Under Armor, which now represents a big loss for the apparel company that will likely continue to lean on stars like Stephen Curry, Tom Brady, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as their headliners. Under Armor and Coach Prime have had a partnership since 2009, and now will head their separate ways on good terms.

“Under Armour had a longstanding partnership with Deion Sanders for more than a decade and we are proud of what we accomplished together,” Under Armor said in a statement to USA Today. “Now that he has gone on to Colorado, we can’t wait to see him continue to positively impact the game and look forward to watching him find continued success with his new partners, athletes, and expanded communities.“

Sanders has already worn some Nike/Colorado apparel as a part of his deal as the Buffaloes’ head coach, admitting that he hadn’t sported Nike shoes in at least 15 years. But now he’ll likely be a lot more comfortable rocking the swoosh moving forward.